Friends to Family
by Lolly4Holly
Summary: Sequel to Secrets and Desires. As a relationship progresses, a whole new set of challenges arise. Greg thought he was prepared for the next step in their relationship, but it turns out to be a lot more than he bargained for. Nick/Greg slash. M-Preg. COMPLETE. Sequel.
1. Chapter 1 - Taking the Plunge

**Friends to Family**

 **2nd in Series**

 **Author:** Lolly4Holly

 **Pairings:** Nick and Greg slash

 **Contains:** M-Preg, M/M slash, Heart Break

 **Summary: Sequel to Secrets and Desires.** As a relationship progresses, a whole new set of challenges arise. Greg thought he was prepared for the next step in their relationship, but it turns out to be a lot more than he bargained for.

 **Author's Note:** Hope you all had an awesome Christmas and I wish you well in the New Year. Here is the much awaited sequel to Secrets and Desires. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you!

~ Holly

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 **Chapter One - Taking the Plunge**

Before you take the plunge with your partner into the world of parenthood, you may find it helpful to ask yourselves these questions: Are you both equally committed to becoming parents? Can you afford to take on the responsibility of a new life? Have you thought through how you'll handle childcare responsibilities and balancing your work life with your family? Are you ready to give up sleeping in on Sundays or line up a babysitter every time you want to go out without your baby? Have you thought about how becoming parents may change you and your relationship with those closest to you? Are you prepared for the possibility that your child may have special needs? If you have religious differences, have you discussed how they will affect your baby?

"No, no, no, no and no. We're not ready for any that, are we my little parasite?" Greg sighed heavily, closing the book in his hands as the locker room door suddenly burst open beside him. "Warrick, are you okay?" He ditched the book, jumping to his feet at the sight of the blood pouring down the man's chin. "I thought you were at the precinct talking to the vic's mother?"

"I was." Warrick rushed for the sink, removing his hand from his face to run the cold tap. He cringed as the blood gushed down his face, filling his mouth with its coppery taste. "She hit me." He tried to grab a glob running down his chin, but it already hit his nice new white shirt. "Crazy psycho just thumped me one right there."

"The mother?" Grabbing a wad of tissues, Greg plugged the man's nostrils, leading him over to the bench to sit down. "No don't tilt your head back, you're supposed to lean forwards and breathe through your mouth. If you tilt your head back, the blood pours down your throat."

"Since when did you learn emergency medicine?" The man did as instructed, giving Greg a curious look.

"My Mom. Pinch your nose here." He knelt down in front of the man, making sure it wasn't broken, before Warrick pinched his nose. "After three or four visits to the hospital with a nosebleed, one of the nurses practically insisted that she take a first aid course to take care of me herself at home. She drilled it into my head so many times that I practically know most of it off by heart now." Greg smiled back at him, pulling back to the tissues to see if it was still bleeding. "Why did the victim's mother hit you?"

"Apparently she didn't know that her daughter was an exotic dancer," Wiping the blood from his chin, Warrick leant back on his hands, feeling the thick coppery taste of blood in his throat. "I let it slip when I was telling her where her daughter was found, then she suddenly decked me. Brass had a right go at me, so I thought it was best to slip away up here."

"Yeah, I've been on the receiving end of Brass's wrath many times."

While Greg cleared away the bloody tissues from his nosebleed, Warrick caught sight of the book on the bench. He reached out for it, curiously looking at the title. "How to get ready for a baby? Are you broadening your horizons to childcare, Greggo?"

"No... it's just for..." Greg snatched back the book, hugging it tightly against his chest. "You know, Sadie." He knew that Warrick didn't like talking about his relationship with Nick, so he was hoping that he would drop the subject if he thought it was just for Nick.

"Your moving in with him then," He assumed, showing obvious discomfort with the conversation as he folded his arms tightly across his chest. "Nick told me that you guys were looking at places. Are you serious about moving in with him?"

Greg nodded slightly, stuffing the book into his locker. "I am. We haven't exactly found a place that we can both agree on yet, but I'm serious about living with him. Does that bother you?"

"Do you really care what I think?"

"Yeah." He closed his locker, giving Warrick a smile. "Nick thinks of you as his brother, so that kinda makes us brothers in law now."

"Hey, I wouldn't go that far." The man pushed himself to his feet, making his way over to the sink to wash away the blood from his hands. "But no, it doesn't bother me. I'm actually pretty happy for you, especially if you're taking an interest in raising Sadie with him. You both deserve a little happiness."

"Thanks." Greg handed him a towel, motioning over his shoulder towards the door. "I better get back. I'll see you this afternoon at Sadie's party, right? Nick said he invited most of the guys from the lab."

"I wouldn't miss it." Warrick waved him off, turning to check out his nose in the mirror. He was relieved that she hadn't broken it when she thumped him right in the face, but it still hurt like hell. He made his way out of the locker room, heading for the break room to see if he could find some ice, bumping into the tiny receptionist on his route. "Oh... hi, were you looking for me?"

"Mr Grissom says that you need to fill out an incident report... for your nose. By the end of your shift." She handed the paper work over to him, giving him a smile, before she slipped away back to her desk. "Oh, Mr Sanders. A Doctor Bennett called three times trying to get hold of you." She handed the message card over to him. "It seems kinda urgent. Is there something wrong?"

"No." Greg spoke softly, reading the message card in his hands. "Thank you." He stuffed the card into his pocket, figuring it was just another doctor that wanted in on his case.

It was the worst part of having a rare gene flaw in his mind. His case had been openly discussed with curious doctors, wanting to get in on his case to make their mark or publish a paper about his abnormality. He was trying to avoid the subject at all costs for the time being, focusing more on work rather than the baby that was rapidly growing inside of him.

Roughly eight centimetres long from rump to crown, the baby was rapidly starting to take on more human appearances. The morning sickness that had been causing him to lose his appetite had died down a little, although he still got bouts of it now and then, especially to certain smells. He tried to avoid autopsies at all costs after splattering Doctor Robbins' floor with vomit, but he had managed to keep it hidden from everyone at the lab, despite the slight protrusion in his abdomen.

"Greg..." Sara caught up to him outside his old lab. "Did you hear about what happened to Warrick down in the station?"

"Victim's Mom tried to break his nose?" He gave her a nod. "Your case?"

"Yeah, I tried to tell him that she didn't know, but he had already said it when he realised what I was mouthing to him. If someone had done that to me, I would have pressed charges. You can't just go around hitting people because they told you a few home truths about your daughter."

"She just 'lost' her daughter though. He shouldn't have told her that."

"It's no excuse." She followed him round to the AV lab. "So, Sadie's first birthday this afternoon. Are you going?"

"You already know I am. Nick told me that you know about us." Greg gave her a knowing grin, pushing the door to the lab open with his back. "So much for the strictly down low status. I think everyone knows now."

"Doesn't it feel a little better with everyone knowing?"

"Sometimes." He nodded slightly, holding the door open to usher her inside. "It was kinda fun having a secret for a while though. I miss that honeymoon, butterflies in the tummy phase with him sometimes. But I guess, eight months in it's bound to slow down a little, right?"

"You've been dating for eight months?" Sara looked at him surprised. "Wow, I didn't think it had been that long."

"And Sadie's turning one already." He couldn't believe it himself, but it was really happening. "You know she's calling me Papa now. It's more like pa most days, but she's getting really vocal now. Not actual words a lot of the time, but Nick's trying to get her to construct sentences together."

"Is she walking yet?"

Greg shook his head, taking a seat at the table. "She's standing and crawling, but she's not really walking yet. She gets into everything though. Cupboards, drawers, my kit... I have to be careful about things I leave on the floor now. She's gonna be a little menace when she does start walking."

Sara loved watching the younger man light up. She hadn't seen him this happy in a long time, making her even more grateful that Nick stuck around. "I'll see you later at the party then. I went shopping with Catherine for a birthday present, so she should like it."

"She's a baby. She thinks a ribbon is amazing. I'm sure she'll love your present." Greg smiled at the woman, waving her off. He finally got to work on the surveillance cameras from his crime scene, desperately trying to keep his eyes open as he searched through over thirty hours of footage from multiple cameras. He was surprised that a dingy motel like this would even have fully functioning cameras, especially so many covering multiple hallways and angles of the car park. He finally found the car that dumped their body off, along with multiple angles of the suspect dragging the body through the hallway towards the room he was found in, but no clear image of his face.

"Hey," Catherine burst through the door to the AV lab. "Any luck? Autopsy gave us nothing. Doc Robbins is backed up with bodies from that suspicious bus crash, so he didn't give me anything. He won't be able to give us a full autopsy until later. Best he can tell, our victim died of the GSW to the head. He won't be able to dig it out for a while yet though. Our vic has knee shaped bruises on his chest, restraint marks around his wrists and ankles. Signs of torture and the Doc thinks he was starved for quite some time. Malnourished." She remembered the word he used.

"I've got our suspect's car and our suspect dragging our vic through the motel." He motioned towards the screens. "But no clear images of the suspect's face. He's wearing a sweatshirt with the hood up and a baseball cap underneath, low enough to hide his features. I've got the make and model of his car... but the plates have been covered."

"Smart." Catherine leant forwards, looking at the cardboard tapped over the licence plate. "What about the VIN number?"

"He drives straight in and backs out the same way. None of the cameras are looking in that direction. I should be able to search owners of the car with the make and model in the city, but it could be hundreds."

"BMW three series, try thousands." The woman sighed, already thinking of three men she had dated who owned one. "Maybe once we ID our victim, it might be easier to figure out who the suspect is. Did you give the prints to Mandy?"

"Yeah, she's got all the sets from the crime scene to go through too. I'll tell her to rush the vic's." He pushed himself away from the table, catching Catherine staring at him weirdly. "What? Have I got something on my face?"

"No. You just," Tilting her head to the side, Catherine examined him closely, thinking there was something different about him, but she couldn't put her finger on what. "Look different. Like you're glowing or something. No reason why you shouldn't be, it is technically your daughter's first birthday today. But I've never seen you like this before. Happy." She smiled at him, realising his eyes weren't telling the same story. "But you're not happy? Why aren't you happy?"

"I am, don't psycho analyse me. I'll go talk to Mandy." Greg pushed himself to his feet, holding his lower back as he got up. He avoided the look Catherine was giving him, quickly making his way towards the print lab next door. "Jayne, please tell me Mandy finished processing the victim's prints from my case."

Nervous lab technician, Jayne anxiously bit her bottom lip, sucking in a sharp breath as she realised they had yet to be processed. "I can do em right now for you." She hurried around the table, snapping on a fresh pair of gloves. "Mandy had an emergency family thing, so she didn't quite finish. I'm supposed to be covering for her, until she can get back." The woman pushed the glasses up the bridge of her nose, getting to work on the prints as quickly as she could. She anxiously bit her lip as they didn't come up with a match, turning to look at the man stood over her. "I can run them again. Maybe there was dust on the lens or something."

"Or he's not in the system." Greg pointed out to her, giving out a soft sigh. "Let me know if you get any hits from the crime scene prints. I'm on my cell." He gave her a reassuring smile, backing away towards the door. He held his stomach as he stepped out into the hall, feeling a cramp that he hoped was just hunger. He caught Catherine suspiciously watching him again, returning with a smile. He couldn't deal with anyone else knowing about his current situation. It was hard enough Nick knowing about it. He couldn't bear the thought of everyone else knowing.

It was too horrible to even think about.

"Flowers... it's a baby's birthday party." The man dismissed his sister's idea, tying off the balloon he had just blown up. He grabbed a piece of the curled purple ribbon from the table, making his best attempt to tie a bow around the end. "Besides your kids, Sadie's goin' to be the only baby attendin' the party, so I don't think it really matters if we decorate the whole house."

"Oh but you gotta go all out. It's her first birthday." Gwen climbed onto a chair beside the kitchen door, tying some of the balloons to the top of the blind pole.

"She's not even goin' to remember any of it. She thinks it's just any other day." Nick smiled at her, grabbing another balloon from the bag in front of him. "Her tenth birthday, that's a big one. Milestones like the first double digits. Sixteen. Eighteen. Twenty One. Those are birthdays she'll actually remember. Her first birthday is just for us."

"Not the pink ones, I said purple and white only." Gwen clambered down off the chair, snatching away the pink balloon, before he brother blew it up. "Purple and white is the theme. You can't just throw in a pink one, it won't match any of the cups, plates or little party bags that I picked up."

"Most of the people attendin' this party are over thirty." Nick pointed out to her, pushing himself to his feet from the table. "They're not gonna want party bags." He grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair, making his way over to the travel cot in the front room to check on the birthday girl. She had no idea that today was any different from yesterday as she continued to snooze on.

"Where are you going?" Gwen appeared at his side with a handful of balloons floating behind her.

"The store, like I told you I would." He adjusted his jacket collar, beginning to feel as though he was living with a nagging wife, rather than his sister. He bent over the travel cot side to press a kiss to his daughter's forehead, letting her continue her nap, while he made his way out to his truck. "Do you need anythin'?" He noticed the shadow of balloons tailing him down the driveway.

"No, I bought extras of everything already. Unless you're coming around to the flowers idea..." She hoped, but he shook his head. "No." She gave out a soft sigh. "Does Greg like anything in particular? We haven't really got the chance to know each other and I think that he'd really like me if he got the chance to know me."

"How do you know he doesn't already like you? Stop tryin' so hard." He knew saying that was useless as his sister had a history of trying too hard to make people like her. His mother called her the over achiever of the family, but her tendencies to try too hard to get people to like her often made her come off as a phony. "I'll be back soon. Sadie should be asleep for another hour yet. If she wakes up, don't feed her lunch yet."

"Lunch... it's barely ten o' clock."

"Exactly, don't feed her lunch if she wakes up. She'll be cranky for the party if you do. So don't." He warned her, waiting for her to nod in understanding, before he climbed into his truck. He waved goodbye to her from the end of the drive, giving out a soft sigh of relief as he was finally free of her obsessive nature.

He had to find a new place to live. He felt as though he'd go crazy if he spent another hour with her.

"Seven years ago," Catherine burst into the AV lab where Greg was sat, holding a file in her hands. "Our victim had a little plastic surgery done. I found his records after I pulled the serial number off his butt implant." She grinned at the younger man, setting the paper thin file down in front of him. "Bradley Kingston. Thirty two years old. He was a botanical lab technician. His colleagues filed a missing persons report about eight months ago. His parents are in Florida. You know he kinda looks like you." She held the photo up beside him, comparing the two men. "If you stopped shaving again, you could actually look just like him."

Greg grabbed for the picture, taking a look at the image. Their victim actually looked pretty handsome being alive and all. He wasn't his type, but there was a certain charm to him. "He doesn't look anything like me. And Grissom thought I had started heavily drinking, so I had to shave the beard."

Catherine threw her head back with laughter, collecting up the folder from beside him. "If only he knew the real reason was for your boyfriend. I bet he was upset about it."

"A little yeah." He remembered the argument he had with the man after he shaved without telling him first. They laughed it off in the end, but it still scared him that he could do something that Nick would never forgive him for and lose him for good.

"Alright, are you coming to the vic's house with me?"

"Can't, I'm finishing early. I'm strictly lab bound until my shift is over." He reminded her, tapping his watch. He hated leaving a case halfway through, but he couldn't let Sadie down on her first birthday.

Sadie had come into his life unexpectedly and he had grown to love her over time, but he took comfort in the fact that she wasn't his sole responsibility. He adored her completely and would feel lost without her, but she had a loving parent already who would be there to help and support her through all the difficult things in life, giving him all the easy duties of hugs and kisses.

Having a baby of his own would change everything in his life and he didn't feel ready for any of it.

At the end of his shift, Greg made his way back to his apartment, sorting through his mail as he approached the front door. He tore open a letter from the hospital before he even unlocked it, hoping that the doctors were writing to apologise about the big mix up of accidentally telling him he was pregnant.

But it turned out to be a rejection from his insurance company.

"Rejected?" He put his back to his front door, frowning as he read through the letter. "We're rejecting your application for . . . what? . . . failed to notify . . . existing condition..." Sighing heavily, Greg searched through his pockets for his keys, jamming them into the lock of his front door. He forced the door open with his elbow, ditching his things on the counter, before he pulled the door shut. He slid the lock into place, kicking his sneakers off just as his cell started to ring. "Sanders."

"Oh hi, Mr Sanders," Nervous Jayne answered, sorting through the papers in front of her. "I got an ID from one set of prints in the motel room. According to your notes, the prints were lifted from the door frame in the bathroom."

"The ones in the victim's blood." He remembered, forgetting he wasn't actually on the case for a moment. "Okay, who'd they match to?"

"I found him in the system. He was arrested ten years ago for assault. The case was dropped in court, but then he was arrested and convicted two years later for assault of the same guy. He served five years before he was released. He's living in Las Vegas now." Jayne shuffled through the papers, finding his information on the back. "Uh... I had his name somewhere... oh here... his name is Stuart Telesco."

"Stuart..." Greg paused in his front room, spotting the man in question sat on his bed. He looked so casual as though he thought Greg should have been expecting him, but he hadn't seen the man in nearly six months, since he tried to forcefully propose to him outside of his apartment. "I gotta go. Make sure you tell Catherine Willows what you found out." He hung up his cell, holding it at his side as he examined his unwanted guest closely. He didn't appear to have any blood on his clothes or defensive wounds on his exposed arms or face, making him hope that Jayne had got it wrong.

"Aren't you gonna say 'hi, nice to see you' or something?" Stuart opened his mouth, pushing himself up from the bed. "I have to say, it's really nice to see you again, Greg."

"Where have you been?" Greg took a slight step backwards towards the kitchen counter, wondering if he should go for one of the knifes in the drawer or just run straight for the front door.

"Around." The man took a few steps closer towards Greg, examining his long lost love closely. "You look good. You've put on a little weight, but I guess that happens when the boyfriend leaves you." He motioned over his shoulder towards the bedroom. "None of his stuff is here, so I figured you two broke up. I told you he'd never love you like I love you."

Instead of retaliating with the facts, Greg decided to keep his mouth shut, making another small step towards the door.

"So, I guess you're in the market for a new guy. Ah, ah, don't take another step." The man pulled out the concealed weapon from behind his back, pointing the barrel of his stolen gun directly at Greg. "I didn't come here to hurt you, Greg. But if you leave me with no other choice, I will not hesitate to put a bullet in your head. I'd rather see you dead then with another man."

Stuart hurried to his side, snatching Greg's arm away from him before he made his escape. He pried the phone out of his hand, holding it out of his reach before he could attempt plan B and hit one of his speed dials.

"You know I'll always take you back. You only have to ask." He pushed him against the door, pinning the younger man between himself and his only escape. He studied his expression for a moment, before his eyes turned towards his lips. "You were always my favourite, Greg. I've never met anyone like you before."

"Is that what you told, Bradley?" He had to ask. "Your ex boyfriend, Brad. I should have connected the dots sooner, but I didn't think you would ever do something like that."

Stuart grinned, lifting his gaze to meet Greg's. "Don't worry, he's got nothing on you, babe. He thought he could do better without me too, but look where that got him." He reached his hand up, brushing the barrel of the gun against Greg's chin. "I know this thing you had with this other guy was just a fluke, so I'm going to forgive you and take you back. Do you want that?" He raised the gun to the side of his head with a sinister grin plastered across his lips as he felt him shaking. "Now there's a good boy."

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 **Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed it, remember to leave me a review.**

 **Happy New Year!**

 **~ Holly**


	2. Chapter 2 - Consequences

**Chapter Two - Consequences**

"I'll get it." Abandoning his pointless duties of organising cupcakes, Nick hurried for the front door of his sister's house, giving out a slightly disappointed sigh as it was just her husband with his arms stacked with even more boxes of cupcakes. "There's not even that many comin' to her party. Who's gonna eat all these cupcakes?" He took a few boxes off his hands, taking them through to his sister. "There's you, me, your husband, your three kids, Greg, Catherine, Warrick, Sara... maybe Grissom. They're not goin' to be able to eat all of these cupcakes."

"They're cheaper if you buy in bulk." The woman simply answered, taking the boxes off his hands. "Besides, I invited a few extra people."

"Who?" He folded his arms across his chest, swearing he would thump her if she even mentioned their parents. "Who did you invite, Gwen? You better tell me now, or I'm takin' Sadie and walkin' out of here."

"You can't go now, it's almost ready." She pouted her lip out at him. She licked the icing from her fingers, giving out a sigh as her brother continued to stare her down. "Billy."

"Why?"

"He's our brother. I mentioned that your daughter was turning one to him last week and he said he would stop by."

"He can't even take a day off work for his own kids, what makes you think he's goin' to drive all the way down to Las Vegas for his niece's first birthday?" Nick argued, noticing the look in her eyes. "You didn't talk to him at all, did you? You invited our parents after I specifically told you not to."

"I just thought that it would be the perfect time for all of you to talk. You invited Greg's parents and they're not even related to Sadie. It's not fair on them. This divide in the family isn't exactly easy. You don't come back for Christmas, Thanksgivin', Mama's birthday, Daddy's birthday... they constantly asked me questions about you and the baby this Christmas, but you were too busy with your boyfriend and his folks to even care about your own family." Gwen blurted it all out in one go, anxiously biting her bottom lip as she looked into her brother's eyes. "You don't even know what they'll say about, Greg, because you've never even given them the chance. Just like you never even gave them a chance with Sadie. Nick!" She called after her brother as he turned away, escaping to his room before he really did hit her.

"Give him a minute." Her husband grabbed her arm, stopping her from chasing after him. "You shouldn't have invited them if he doesn't want them here."

"Who's side are you on?" Gwen pulled her arm free from his grip, getting back to sorting the cupcakes onto trays. "I don't see why he can tell Greg's parents, but not his own. It's like he's ashamed of them or something. I happen to think Mama will be very understanding. And she's been dying to meet her grandchild since she was..." She paused midsentence, glancing up at her brother carrying his daughter towards the door. "Where are you going? The party starts in less than an hour."

"Which is exactly why I'm out of here." Nick lowered his daughter into the carrier near the door, adjusting her arms to buckle her in place.

"Anthony, stop him."

"Oh no, this is a Stokes thing. It's way too violent for me. I'm staying out of it." Her husband took a seat, staying well away from the arguing siblings.

"I've been planning your daughter's birthday for a whole month, not to mention decorating and buying everything for today and you're just going to up and leave before it's even begun. What am I supposed to tell your friends or Greg's parents when they show up or Mama when her flight gets in? They're all going to be so disappointed if the birthday girl isn't even here. What about Greg, what would he say about you running like this?"

"I think he'd say that movin' in with you was my biggest mistake." Nick felt his chest tightening, his breathing becoming restricted and the familiar feeling of dizziness as he thought about his parents being in the same room as him and his boyfriend.

"What's the big deal?" She blocked her brother from being able to leave. "They're our parents. They're not going to do anything. You told Greg's parents. You spent Christmas with them. Why are you so ashamed to tell 'our' parents?"

"I told you that I didn't want them here for a good reason." He lifted his daughter with his shaky hands, feeling a little lightheaded as he pushed himself to his feet. "Now move." He waited for his sister to move aside from the door, before he hurried outside to his truck. He loaded the baby carrier into the back first, setting his daughter off in tears as he shakily buckled her into the car. He knew she could sense that something was wrong, but he had to get himself far away from here before his anxiety exploded into a full blown panic attack.

He needed a sanctuary, the only place he had felt safe in a long time.

Greg's apartment.

When he arrived though, he started to feel oddly worse. The front door had been left partially open and there looked as though there had been a struggle in the kitchen. The cutlery drawer had been thrown across the floor, with various knives and forks scattered around. He held the baby carrier at his side, facing his daughter away from the carnage as he cautiously trod his way through to the bedroom. Two chairs at the dining table had been knocked over. Shards of glass and water covered one side. The sheets on the bed had been pulled off to one side. The pillows squashed against the headboard and an eerie chill feeling throughout the empty apartment.

"Greg?"

Nick hurried through to the bathroom to find his boyfriend, but the room was undisturbed. He pulled his cell out of back pocket, hitting the younger man's speed dial. He followed the ringing sound through to the front room, feeling a little faint as he found it set on the kitchen counter.

He was really gone.

Pulling up outside the crime scene, Catherine felt her heart in her throat as she looked up at the familiar building. She hurried past the patrol cars with her kit in her hand, quickly ducking under the tape surrounding the outside of the building. She noticed Nick right away, stood on the side lines looking as though he was a million miles away. "Hey Mitch, I've got him." She gave the deputy a nod, stepping closer to the younger man. "I swear to you, Nicky." She appeared in front of him. "We will find him." She was one of the first to respond after hearing the call at the lab, but she had spent most of her time arguing with Ecklie over whether she was allowed to process the scene or not. There was no way she was taking a back seat in this one, so he finally agreed to let her examine the scene, without actually collecting any of the evidence herself.

"I didn't touch anythin'." The man spoke softly, licking his dry lips as he tried to think of something that would help them find Greg quicker. "The door was open when I went in."

"Grissom's getting the whole department to work on this case."

Before she disappeared into the building, Nick quickly caught up to her, knowing he shouldn't tell her, but someone had to know. He trusted her more than anyone else, so she needed to know. "Catherine . . . Greg's pregnant. It's a long story, but you can check with his doctor if you don't believe me. He's fourteen weeks pregnant with my baby. You gotta find him."

"We'll find him." The woman repeated herself, reaching for Nick's hand to give it a reassuring squeeze. She broke away before her eyes started to water too, quickly making her way inside the building, even more determined to find out what exactly happened to the youngest member of their team.

Snapping her gloves into place at the door, Catherine left her kit in the doorway, trying to clear her mind as she walked the scene. She tried to picture a faceless victim as she examined the chaos, but all she could see was Greg being brutally assaulted in his own home. She followed the scene towards the bedroom, watching one of the swing shift CSI's swabbing the edge of the bedside table. She felt her head pounding as she saw the red stain on it, feeling a chill running down her spine as it tested positive for blood.

"Ms Willows," A woman diverted her attention towards the other side of the bed. She raised the bagged bottle of chloroform from beside the bed, letting the senior CSI take it to examine. "At least this means that he's still alive." She tried to give the woman hope.

"Alive... but for how long." Catherine feared what kind of trouble the younger man was in, wondering if it was payback for a case he worked or something worse. "Where are you, Greg?"

Rolling his head back against the wall behind him, Greg struggled to turn his body in the cramped space he found himself in, feeling a jolt beneath him. He tried to separate his hands but they had been bound together behind his back. He tilted his head upwards as he saw a blinking light, realising it was the indicator light on the back of a car. His cramped surroundings confirmed that he was in the trunk of a car, catching the breath from his throat.

He had seen his fair share of decaying bodies in the back of car trunks, making him even more terrified of his current situation. He tried to block them out of his mind, but all he could think about was picking victim bones out of soup, trying to identify pieces of people from all that remained in the trunk of that particular car.

"The blood isn't Greg's." Wendy announced rather loudly, gritting her teeth together as she realised Greg's parents were in the conference room she had just barged into. She knew they were on their way over anyway for Sadie's first birthday party, but she didn't realise they were actually in the building until now. "Mr and Mrs Sanders, I'm so sorry..."

"If it's not Greg's blood that they found, then who's is it?" Catherine climbed to her feet, grabbing the report from the woman's hands. "Stuart Telesco? But he's the suspect from the case Greg and I were working today. Did you cross contaminant the evidence from another case?"

"No, I swear..."

"Sorry, did you say Telesco?" Jean Sanders overheard, grasping her husband's hand beside her a little tighter. "That's Greg's ex boyfriend's name. Stuart Telesco. They broke up over a year ago. Did he have something to do with this?"

"We... can't be sure at this time." Catherine quickly answered, ushering Wendy towards the door. "Give me a moment, Mr and Mrs Sanders." She closed the door behind them, handing the file back to Wendy in the hallway. "Be very discreet with this information. Don't tell Nick under any circumstances. Take it straight to Grissom. If this Stuart really is our murder suspect from this morning, I don't want this news getting back to Nick or Greg's parents." She motioned over her shoulder towards them. "Don't tell anyone else about the match, other than Grissom."

"Got it." Wendy nodded, "But this is a good thing right, it means that Greg isn't hurt."

"It means that he fought back. It would be a good thing if Greg got away, but he may have just royally pissed off his attacker who has already murdered one guy." She pointed out to her, glancing back at the parents in the room behind her. She really didn't want to tell them more bad news, but it was the only news she had to give them at the moment. "Warrick," She spotted him exiting the elevator. "Where's Nick?"

"Down in the station. Ecklie's got him on lockdown." Warrick handed over the bags of clothes to her. "His sister stopped by to pick up the baby."

"He thinks that Nick had something to do with this?" Catherine felt outraged as she saw that the bags were full of Nick's clothes, ready to be processed by the lab. "I can't believe he's even considering the possibility that Nick would ever hurt Greg. This would be a complete waste of our time." She threw the bags back at Warrick, wishing it was Ecklie stood in front of her. "We've got a lead from the blood in the apartment. From now on we're working this case on our own."

"Fine by me." The man nodded, "So, where do we start?"

"Stuart Telesco. Find out anything you can, place of residence, where he works, whether he has any family in town and where he's most likely to take, Greg. You might want to look into a Bradley Kingston too. His case file is on my desk. Stuart Telesco is our primary suspect for his murder. Greg and I were working the case last night."

Warrick gulped softly, worrying even more about the younger man. "I'll get started. Nick needs some clothes. Ecklie's got him in an orange jumpsuit like a common criminal." He remembered, making his way towards her office to collect up the file. He paused to examine the crime scene pictures, fearing they would find Greg in the same way.

He took the file with him through to the AV lab, getting to work on trying to find out everything he could about the two men.

"Can you give us a minute?" Catherine stepped inside the interrogation room that Nick was being held in, waiting for the deputy to leave, before she closed the door behind her. She carried the clothes over to Nick, watching him slowly lifting his head from the table with tears in his eyes. "I got you some clothes. They're Warrick's, so they might be a little big."

"Greg?" He sat up straight, more concerned about the love of his life then the fact he had been forced into wearing an orange jumpsuit that practically labelled him as a criminal around here.

"Nothing yet." Catherine shook her head, taking a seat beside him. "When's the last time you ate?"

Nick shook his head, holding his head in his hands. "I don't care. I need you to find, Greg. The last time I saw him was yesterday evenin'. We had dinner together while my sister watched, Sadie. I dropped him off at work afterwards. I went back to my sister's house to get some sleep. I spent the whole day with my sister gettin' things ready for Sadie's party, until I made my way over to Greg's. I found the door open, but I didn't touch anythin' as I made my way through to the bedroom. I called the lab without touchin' a thing. I waited outside until you guys arrived." He repeated the same story he had been telling Ecklie for the past hour or so, hoping someone would believe him.

Catherine reached out for his hand, looking into his glazed eyes. "Nick, I know you're not responsible for this. We have evidence of that."

"So you 'do' have somethin'. Why'd you lie to me?"

The woman sighed, glancing round at the door to make sure Ecklie wasn't anywhere in sight. She turned back to Nick, knowing she couldn't compromise the case, but she couldn't leave him like this. "We've started processing the evidence we collected. Greg may have wounded his attacker. There was blood at the scene, not Greg's." She quickly assured him. "We have an ID, the guy's in the system, so it's just a matter of time before we find him."

"A name?" Nick urged, "C'mon Catherine, Ecklie has me on lockdown. What am I gonna do? I can help. I can't just sit here."

"I'm not supposed to." She shook her head. "It could compromise everything. I'm not even supposed to be discussing the case with you."

"He has the love of my life. I'm not goin' to risk Greg's life. Just give me a name."

"Telesco." She gave it up. "Stuart Telesco. Have you ever heard of him? Greg's parents said he used to date him. Over a year or so ago."

Nick gulped softly, giving her a slight nod. "He kept callin' Greg for a while. About three or four months ago, he showed up at Greg's apartment. I only got his first name then. He damn near broke Greg's finger tryin' to force this tacky lookin' ring on it."

"What happened?"

"I hit him. Tossed him out and told him not to come back. Greg said the phone calls stopped after that." Leaning back in his seat, Nick started to blame himself for how he had handled that situation. "It's my fault Greg's gone. He called this Stuart guy before his Papa Olaf died, because he needed someone to talk to. And he couldn't talk to me, because I was so wrapped up in my own stuff to even care that my friend needed help. He told me this guy was really possessive while they were datin'. He broke up with him because he cheated on him with another man. They had been doin' it for a while, Greg never even knew until he found them together." He gave her as much information as he could remember.

"Do you know the name of the other man? That Stuart cheated on Greg with."

The Texan shook his head. "Greg never said. What aren't you tellin' me?" He glanced up as the door burst open, seeing an angry looking Ecklie stood in the gap.

"Catherine, a word. Now." The man ordered, stepping out into the hall. He folded his arms across his chest, while he waited, staring the woman down for disobeying a direct order. "You're not the lead on this case. You're not allowed to talk to the suspect or handle any of the evidence. You may have just compromised this entire case."

"Nick is not a suspect, did you even take his statement?"

"Yes, I did." Ecklie snapped at her, hating being told how to do his job. "And I spoke to his sister when she came in to get her statement of Nick's whereabouts today. He left her house for an hour without the baby earlier today. In his statement, Nick told us he had been at her house all day. He's lied to us already, how do we know that he didn't lie about doing something to Greg. If this were any other suspect..."

"Why don't you try following the evidence for once rather than your stupid hunches? Nick didn't do this. It might be a stretch for a cold hearted person like you to believe this, but Nick loves Greg. He would never do something like this to him. We have evidence proving that there was another man there. A man who is already a suspect in a murder case. You're wasting precious time by focusing on Nick. We have to find Greg before he ends up just the same as the other guy."

Ecklie folded his arms across his chest, giving out a sigh. "I don't want to have to take you off the case, Catherine."

"I'd like to see you try." She dared him. "This is no time for personal vendetta's, we have to find Greg before he ends up like Stuart's last victim. He dumped his last victim at a motel on the edge of town. We have the make and model of his car and the bullet fragment from the victim's skull. It's not much, but it's a start. We have to find, Greg." Catherine pushed him aside, making her way back to the lab. "Warrick, please tell me you have something."

"There's a BMW three series in Stuart Telesco's name. I gave the licence plate and description to Brass to flag down. I've got Archie working traffic cameras." He motioned towards the AV lab behind him. "Sara's looking into Bradley Kingston and I was just about to get in touch with Stuart's boss. He doesn't have any family. He was orphaned at the age of nine, spending the rest of his childhood in various foster homes. He's a junior architect. Until about three years ago, he lived in New York. He's been working on a few projects this year, I was hoping his boss would be able to narrow down which one he's been working on lately."

"Let me know as soon as you find out. He might have taken Greg there."

"Will do." Warrick hurried through to the layout room in front of him, getting straight on the phone to Stuart's boss.

Sighing softly, Catherine glanced around the busy lab, hoping they were doing enough to find out where Greg was. From her calculations, he had been missing for over four hours now, making every second they were working this case crucial.

"Grissom," She flagged him down, hurrying towards him before the elevator doors closed. "Did Wendy bring you up to speed?"

"Your murder suspect from this morning was at Greg's apartment." He nodded, reading through the file he had in his hands. "Did you read the witness statements the deputies gathered from the motel?"

"No, I never got around to it. Why?"

Grissom rolled his eyes, handing over the report to her. "Because one witness provided in depth details of the suspect, including..."

"He smelled of strong sugar." She read the last part of the description. "So, how does that help us if he has a sweet tooth? Are we supposed to search every place that sells candy in Nevada?"

"A strong sugary scent." He corrected her for reading the statement incorrectly. "Molasses to be exact. I've been telling you for years Catherine, every detail of a case is crucial." He stepped out the elevator on the morgue floor, directing the woman to follow him. "Your victim, Bradley Kingston. I did a search of his name and found Kingston Winery just outside of Las Vegas. It's owned by his parents. They specialise in a variety of Whiskies and Rums, which molasses is used for in the distillery process. You could be looking at your primary crime scene." He made his way into the morgue, smiling at Doctor Robbins. "Have you got the body I was looking for?"

"Mr Bradley Kingston, yes." Doc Robbins directed him towards the other table. "You said you wanted to smell him?" He gave the man a curious look, watching him bending over, taking in a whiff of the victim. "He's been washed for the autopsy, Gil. I'm not sure what you're looking for."

"The scent is still there." Grissom confirmed, taking in another whiff. He straightened up, looking at his colleagues in front of him. "In the nineteen hundreds, molasses flooded the streets of Boston, Massachusetts. A fifty eight foot high tank filled with over two point five million gallons of molasses exploded into the streets. Over ninety years later, some residences claim that on a hot summers day, the area still smells of molasses."

"I thought he had just been drinking, but his blood alcohol level was clear." The doc reported.

Catherine sighed, looking between the two men. "What's this got to do with...?"

"Everything." Her supervisor stopped her there. "The Kingston Winery is a very isolated location, just outside of town." Grissom showed them his findings in the rest of the papers in his file. He let Catherine take hold of the map, seeing the worry on her face. "It could be our primary crime scene for your victim here, especially because it's not too far from the motel where your victim was found. He's been missing for several months, so your suspect could have been holding him there, before he decided to dump the body closer to town."

"Which means he could be holding Greg there," Catherine took off running for the elevator, realising she had been focusing on the wrong part of this case too. She called Brass on her way up, alerting him to the situation, telling him that she would meet him there. "Nicky c'mon, we've got a lead." She burst into the interrogation room. "C'mon."

Nick tugged his wrist up from the table, showing her that he had been handcuffed to it. "What is it, did you find, Greg? Is he okay?"

"I hope so." She pulled a clip from her hair, kneeling down beside him to pick the lock. "I'll explain on the way." She hadn't picked a handcuff lock in years, but she managed to trigger the release in less than a minute or so, freeing his wrist from the restraint. "Brass has gone on ahead."

"Wait," Nick caught her wrist at the door, he really didn't want to ask her this, but he had to know. "Are we expectin' to find him alive?"

Instead of giving him the answer he so desperately needed, Catherine pursed her lips together, leading the way out to her car. She knew that she shouldn't be taking him along if they were expecting to find a body, but if it was her daughter, Lindsey out there, she would have wanted to be there no matter what happened.

Feeling the car coming to a rolling stop, Greg seized hold of the tire iron he had found, getting ready to swing. He had struggled for the last hour or so to hook his arms around his legs, bringing his hands to the front. He was starting to wish he had never given up Yoga as it was a lot more difficult than he thought it should be, but that shouldn't have been on his mind right now.

He was still being held captive in the trunk of a very ripe smelling car. Yoga should have been the last thing on his mind.

Listening to the sound of the door popping open, Greg tightened his grip around the iron, breathing softly to steady himself. He swung into the bright daylight as the trunk popped open, feeling the iron hitting something, but he couldn't tell what with the blinding sunlight burning his eyes. He felt his arm being yanked out of its socket a moment later, before he was forced out of the trunk and onto the sandy ground beneath him.

"I said I wasn't going to hurt you." Stuart tossed aside the tire iron, pulling Greg to his feet. "Don't struggle." He reached for the edge of the tape on the younger man's face, ripping it off in one clean sweep to clear his mouth.

"Ah..." Greg licked his dry lips, looking around at his surroundings now that his eyes had begun to adjust to the bright sunlight. "Where are we?"

Stuart grinned widely, dragging the younger man towards the sliding door by his bound wrists. It was a lot larger than a normal garage door, almost the size of a truck loading bay door. Greg stood back as the door loudly clattered open to the top, stumbling as Stuart pushed him inside the pitch black warehouse. "This was supposed to be our dream, me and Bradley. His parents finally retired to Florida, leaving him with the business. We were going to run it together."

"You mean until you killed him?" Greg squinted his eyes together as the lights started coming on one by one, lighting up the boxes, dusty shelving units and barrels. The lights were very dim, but he could see all the way to the end of the huge warehouse. It was cold and there was sickly smell in the air that made him want to hurl. The ceiling went all the way up and the ground beneath him was dirt.

"Until he decided he could do better than me that is." Stuart folded his arms across his chest. "I had to get rid of him. He just wouldn't listen to me. He didn't want us to have our dream."

"Why did you move Bradley's body?" He turned to look at the man behind him. "You had all this space, barrels, a desert right next to you," He knew he shouldn't be asking him, but he needed to know. "Why did you move his body to that motel? His body would have never been found out here."

"I wanted him to be found." Pulling Greg by the ropes binding his wrists, Stuart led him through a long stretch of barrels, making a turning at the end. He practically dragged him down the stairs into the eerie cellar that had a funky smell to it. "I tried to love him. But he just disappointed me. I didn't want him to stay here with me anymore. You won't disappoint me, will you, Greg?" He clicked on a light against the wall, revealing a single bed in the corner of the cellar. A ragged sofa sat against the opposite side with a coffee table that had seen better days. "I was dating Bradley when I got your call."

"You were?"

"He was jealous of what you and I had. He wanted to leave me like you did. I'm not going to let you do that again."

Greg felt a chill running down his spine as he saw the restraints on the bed. "So you held him prisoner?" That would certainly explain why Bradley had been filed as a missing person for the past eight months. He had been held captive here against his will all that time and he couldn't help but think that it was all his fault. If he had never called Stuart, Bradley might have still been alive.

"Welcome to your new home. Get comfortable, you're never leaving."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading, please review!**

 **~ Holly**


	3. Chapter 3 - Under Seige

**Chapter Three - Under Siege**

Slamming his weight into the cellar door for well over the hundredth time, Greg gave out a sigh, sliding down it into a sitting position. He dropped his head into his hands, feeling a little dizzy. It could have been from the total lack of fresh air down here or it could have been the fact that he hadn't eaten in hours now. Thanks to the little parasite inside of him, any food he attempted to eat either ended up in the toilet bowl or their tiny stomach.

"How are we gonna get out of this one, my little parasite?" He placed his hand on his stomach, sitting forwards as he saw a ray of daylight shining from somewhere. He scrambled to his feet, making his way over to the filing cabinet against the wall. The drawers were locked, but with a few pushes, he managed to move it aside, revealing the wall behind covered with cardboard and old newspapers. He quickly started peeling them away from the wall, finding a barred window behind it.

The bars were too close together for him to squeeze through, but one of the bars rattled in his hands. He turned as he heard the door unlocking, quickly trying to cover up the window, before he dove for the bed.

"Comfy?" Stuart carried a tray down the stairs, setting it on the coffee table. "Cold pizza. I know you don't like it cold, but it's all I have left at the moment."

Counting to three in his head, Greg jumped to his feet on three, giving the older man a hard shove. He toppled over the table, giving Greg some time to run up the stairs. He ran straight through the open door this time, desperately trying to find his way out of the maze of barrels. He knew they only took one turning on the way in, but it all looked so different in the dark and much bigger.

He made it to where he thought they came in, but the bay door was padlocked shut. He put his back to it while he searched for an alternate route, spotting what looked like drag marks on the floor. Letting his CSI brain kick in, he cautiously followed them through another section of barrels, covering his hand over his mouth as he found the rest of Bradley's brain scattered across the floor from the impact of the close range bullet to his head.

"He tried to run too." Stuart forcefully shoved him to the ground, watching the younger man trying to avoid the bits of brain as he rolled over. "I trusted you, Greg. I thought you were different. But you're just like, Bradley. I give you everything and you give me nothing in return." He pulled the gun out of the waistband of his jeans, pointing it at Greg.

"I am different." Greg glanced at the tower of barrels beside him, before he looked up at the gun barrel pointing down at him.

"How?"

Instead of giving him an answer, Greg kicked away the support holding the barrels beside him, sending the tower rolling into his attacker. He scrambled away before he got hit by the tumbling barrels, plugging his nostrils as one barrel burst open, washing away the splatter of Bradley's brains.

The scent was too much for him this time, kicking in his nausea. He bent to throw up, placing his hands on his knees to stop himself from toppling over.

While Stuart was still pinned, Greg quickly kicked the man's hand, snatching up the gun before he had the chance to grab it. "Because you've got no power over me." He aimed the gun at Stuart's head, trying to steady his hand. It was slippery and dripping with alcohol, but he couldn't even pull the trigger if he wanted to. His hands were too shaky and he couldn't focus on his target without thinking about his family and the consequences if he pulled the trigger.

"So pull the trigger." Stuart dared him, laughing as he tried to push away the barrel from his chest. His leg was still pinned, but he needed the room to breathe. "You can't do it, can you? You know why. It's because you still love me."

"I never loved you." Greg objected to that statement. "You were just... convenient at the time. But you were an asshole. How could I ever love someone like you? You trapped me. I hate you."

"You don't believe that." He shook his head, struggling to pull his arm out from under another barrel. "It's that new man, he's been filling your head with all this crap. He doesn't love you. If he did, he would have stayed with you. He'd be here right now saving you. But he's not, because he couldn't care less about you. I do though. You'll always be mine, Greg."

"I'm not yours!" He pulled the trigger, piercing a hole into the barrel beside Stuart's leg. "I've never been yours."

The man laughed again, dropping his head back against the dirt. "You can't kill me because you love me. And I love you too. A lot more than your other boyfriend ever will. I'll kill him before I let you go. You'll always be mine. I'll kill Nick for you. That'll prove to you how much I love you."

"That won't prove anything. Just that you're a sick son of a bitch."

"How do you know I didn't already? Nick could be dead right now... and you'd never even know it." He glanced round at Greg, watching the younger man slowly lowering the gun to his side. He lunged to his feet as soon as he did, pushing the younger man back against another shelving unit. He held him by the throat, seizing hold of his gun holding arm at his side. "I'll never let him have you again."

Greg managed to lift his leg, kicking the older man in the knee to free his throat from his grasp. He choked through his dry throat for a moment, sinking down the shelves to sit on the floor. "You have no idea what it means to love someone. You don't even understand the concept of loving someone. You only understand pain."

"Is that what you think?" Stuart knelt down to his level, pointing the gun to the side of his head. "You still think I don't love you."

"I know you don't." The younger man burst into a grin, shaking his head at him. "You don't beat up, attack, kidnap or tie up someone you love. You would do anything you can to protect that person. You'd never hit that person if they really meant anything to you. You have no idea what love is. You telling me that you love me now is the biggest joke I've ever heard. I know now that you've never been capable of it."

"The real joke is you thinking that you could actually get out of here." Stuart lunged closer, forcing the gun into the side of his head. He could feel the sharp edge of the barrel pressing into his skull, but he was too afraid to move this time. "We're miles from anything. The desert will kill you before you even make it back to civilisation."

"I'll take my chances. Anything has got to be better than being stuck here with a psycho!" Greg shouted, feeling himself shaking with the barrel of the gun directed at his brain. "So if you're going to kill me, just get it over with. Honestly, I'd rather be dead then spend one more moment with you!" He stared him down as he gasped for breath, hoping his pure terror wasn't that obvious to the man in front of him.

"Unless you wonna be buried alive out here," Smashing the butt of the gun against Greg's head, Stuart took a step back as the man collapsed to the floor, pocketing the gun while he was out. "I suggest you co-operate."

Lifting the younger man from the floor, Stuart struggled to carry him back to the cellar, using the restraints to tie him to the bed this time. He took a step back to rub his sore limbs, taking a seat on the sofa to examine the swollen purplish area on his leg. Every part of him ached, prompting the need for a cigarette, but the packet he pulled out of his pocket had been soaked through from the spilt barrel.

Stuart crumpled the packet in his hand, tossing it aside. He pushed himself to his feet, checking the restraints around Greg's wrists and ankles. He grabbed the younger man's chin, turning his head to the side to check on the cut where the blood was coming from. He realised he had hit him pretty hard with the edge of the gun, but he still had a steady pulse.

Giving out a sigh, the man made his way towards the stairs, glancing back at him before he closed the door. He applied the double lock to the cellar door, making his way out to pick himself up some pain killers for his own injuries and some more cigarettes.

"Alright thanks. Brass says it's a left up here." Catherine set her radio on the dashboard, adjusting the sun visor above her. She glanced round at Nick in the passenger seat, sensing he was giving up from the look on his face. It had been a long drive, making it harder for him to wait and see the man he loved again. "Hey, we'll find him. This is Greg we're talking about. He's probably talking this guys ear off."

"That's what I'm worried about." Nick tilted his head back, shielding the sun from his eyes with his hand. "Greg has a way of gettin' under your skin. Before we were datin', he just used to get on my nerves all the time. He was my friend, but he was just kinda annoyin', you know. The teasin', temptin'... I just wanted him to leave me alone." He glanced round at her. "It's part of what I love about him now, but eight months ago, I just wanted to thump him every time he tried to rattle me. He pissed me off so much once that I shoved him up against the locker and he retaliated by kissin' me. He completely caught me off guard, but it was the best first kiss I've ever had."

Catherine gave him a smile, adjusting the sun visor once again. "God I really hate driving in the day time now. I forgot my sunglasses."

"Left." Nick pointed out the turning to her, holding the door beside him tightly as she took the turning a little fast. "Bustin' me out of jail, now reckless drivin'. You're rackin' up one hell of a crime spree today, Catherine."

"I don't have time for rules today. And you're forgetting disobeying direct orders from the lab director. Ecklie was determined to pin this whole thing on you. He wasn't even prepared to listen to any of the evidence. If it were left up to him, we wouldn't even have this lead right now."

"But you figured it out?"

"I wish." The woman smirked, shaking her head. "It was Grissom. His nose figured it out. I was so worried about finding Greg that I ignored potential details. Grissom had the file for less than an hour and he figured out where the primary crime scene was."

"This guy, Bradley," Nick was starting to wish she had never told him about the other man, but it was too late now. He knew about the brutal murder of Stuart's ex boyfriend, planting all sorts of images in his mind about what he was doing to Greg right now. "You said he went missin' eight months back. How did he die?"

"You really don't need to hear..."

"How?" The man insisted. "He's taken the love of my life into the middle of nowhere. I need to know."

"Gun shot to the head. Close range." Catherine spoke softly, glancing round at Nick to see if he was okay. "We believe that Stuart held him captive for over eight months though. Doc Robbins said that there were signs of old bruises, broken bones... restraint marks around his wrists and ankles. Greg's only been gone a few hours."

"Seven." Nick glanced at the clock in the dashboard. "He's been gone for seven hours. You know as well as I do that once someone gets a taste for blood and gets away with it, they're completely capable of doin' it again."

"Catherine, you there." The radio crackled to life on the dashboard.

"I'm here." She grabbed hold of it. "I can't see anything out here, Jim. How much further is it?"

"We're just pulling up outside the warehouse now. Keep going straight, you can't miss it."

"There." Nick pointed out the flicker of light in the distance. He leant forwards in his seat, holding his seatbelt tightly as they got closer and closer, until he could see one of the deputies squad cars. He practically jumped out of the car as Catherine pulled up, running for the entrance of the warehouse. It was locked up tight, but he barely got a look at it before Brass was pulling him aside.

"If we're going to do this, let's do it the right way. You stay in the car. The suspect might be still inside. We'll sweep and clear the building, before we let CSI in. But you have to stay back." He warned him, receiving an anxious nod from the man.

It was hard to stay back, but he turned back for the cars, staying put by one of the deputies squad cars as he watched them breaching the bay door. He leant forwards as the door slid open, taking a few steps closer to try and see inside. The only light inside was the flash light in each of the deputies hands, so it was hard to see anything.

"Don't even think about it." Catherine slid her hand into Nick's, holding him back and keeping him company. "There's no car outside." She pointed out to him, watching the deputies searching the building herself. "We might have gotten it wrong."

"He's here, I can feel it." Nick squeezed her hand tightly, trying to keep himself still, rather than running inside to find him for himself. He glanced at Catherine as her radio crackled, watching her retrieving it from her side. They gave her a brief update, before they went radio silent again. It took them a few extra minutes to clear the whole building, before her radio crackled to life once again.

"All clear Catherine, c'mon in." Jim Brass reported.

"Okay, my turn." Catherine hooked the radio to her belt, lifting her kit from the floor. "I'll let you know as soon as I find something." She assured the man beside her, making sure he stayed put, before she made her way inside. She clicked on her flash light at the door, looking around at the endless lines of barrels in front of her, before she turned her attention towards some drag marks in the dirt. She followed the trail for a while, finding two separate foot prints that looked pretty fresh and they didn't look like the deputies boot prints. She examined the dusty shelves, before she stumbled upon a collapsed tower of barrels down one of the aisles.

"Ms Willows," A deputy called out to her, pointing his flash light down towards the blood. "There's more back there. And the Captain said to tell you there's a locked door in the back."

"Okay, give me a second." Catherine photographed the scene in front of her, pulling a swab out of her vest pocket. She ran it across the blood on the floor, spying something else as she bent down. "God I hope that's not Greg's." She tweezed what she thought was a piece of skull, gulping hard as she bagged it up for evidence. She photographed the trail to the fresher set of blood, taking another swab out of her vest, before she joined the Captain by the locked door.

"Double bolted." She examined the door, giving out a soft sigh.

"A deputy's gone back to the car for a set of bolt cutters." He assured her, picking up his radio to check on the status of the bolt cutters. "Metcalfe, are you on your way back?" He waited for a response, but there was no reply. "Deputy Metcalfe, what's your status? Over." He signalled towards a deputy beside him to follow him, leaving Catherine stood by the door, while they quickly made their back through the long narrow corridor of the warehouse.

"Gun Shot." The deputy pulled his weapon, training it on the suspect. "Officer down."

"Drop your weapon." Captain Brass ordered, spotting his missing Deputy Metcalfe on the ground, wearing a bullet in his shoulder. He kept his gun aimed at their suspect, searching the area for Nick, but he was nowhere to be seen. "Telesco. Stuart Telesco, weapon down." He barked another order at the man. "Now."

"Not until I see, Nick." Stuart shook his head, glancing towards the car he had ducked behind after he fired at the deputy. "C'mon out, Nick. That bullet was meant for you!" He called in his direction, keeping his gun on the Captain in front. "I promised I was gonna kill you. I'll be doing Greg a favour."

"Don't do it." Brass caught sight of the young CSI knelt beside the car. "Stay there, Nick."

"C'mon, Nick." Stuart called him out. "Don't be such a coward. You told me once that you were going to put me in a body bag if I ever went near Greg again. Gotta say I'm not impressed. I could have slit his throat, dumped his body somewhere out here in the desert and you're just sitting there, cowering behind a car. Is that how you defend your boyfriend's honour?" He took a slight step to the right, keeping his arm pointed out towards Brass, while he tried to spy where Nick had hidden. "I blew your boyfriend's brains out and you're not even going to defend his honour? Is that what kind of man you are?"

Tilting his head back against the car, Nick closed his eyes, hoping at this point it was just a ploy to get him out from behind the car. Slitting his throat, blowing his brains out, burying him out in the middle of nowhere, it had to be a trick. Greg didn't deserve any of that. He inhaled a few deep breaths, before he crawled towards the front end of the car on his hands and knees. He knew he shouldn't, but he had to do something.

If only to distract the suspect away from Brass for just a moment, he thought it would be worth it.

Inhaling a few deeps breath, Nick pushed himself to his feet in one sweep, facing the man with the gun.

Stuart smiled widely, swinging his arm away from the Captain and the deputy, ready to put a bullet in the other man's skull. "Finally." He grinned. "This is for taking Greg away from me."

"No, Nick!" Brass squeezed the trigger of his gun a few times.

Stuart pulled at the same time, making him more concerned over the CSI's safety than whether he hit his target or not.

Nick hit the dust first.

The suspect took two to the chest, leaving the third bullet to shatter his skull.

Deputy Warner hurried over to the suspect with his gun trained on him, kicking the gun away from his hand. "He's down." He gave his Captain a nod, getting straight on the radio to call in an ambulance for Metcalfe.

"Nick... Nick..." Captain Brass hurried round the car, giving out a sigh of relief as the man had just taken a dive when the bullets started flying. "Don't you ever do that again." He gave him a warning, reaching his hand out to him to help him to his feet. "Next time when I say stay down, I mean it." He holstered his weapon, giving out a sigh as he checked that their suspect was still down. "Catherine needs bolt cutters. I'll stay with Metcalfe."

Quickly making his way to the back of the car, Nick retrieved the bolt cutters from inside, making his way into the eerie looking building. He felt his heart pounding as he looked up at the high ceiling, cautiously making his way through the cramped space towards the flash lights at the end.

"Hey, Brass just called with the all clear." Catherine hooked her radio back onto her belt, reaching out for Nick's arms. "Are you okay? I heard gun shots." He looked a little shell shocked, but his determination to find Greg kept him going. "Do you want to do the honours?" She noticed the bolt cutters in his hand. "I dusted it for prints already."

"I don't... think I should." Nick took a step away from the door, fearing what he might find. He clutched the bolt cutters tightly in his hand, anxiously biting his bottom lip for a moment, before he took a step towards the door. He sniffed back his tears threatening to spill, steadying his hands as he took the cutters to the first bolt. It was quite rusty, but after a few attempts he managed to break the lock. He quickly cut open the second one, lifting away the broken lock to pull the door open.

Handing the bolt cutters over to Catherine, Nick cautiously made his way down the steps, dropping his jaw at the sight of his boyfriend on the rusty looking bed. He froze as he saw the restraints around his arms and legs, having flash backs of his own time being held against his will. He cautiously stepped down the last few steps, watching his footing as he made his way to the younger man's side. He didn't want to touch him if he was dead, but there was still colour in his cheeks. He shakily reached his hand out for his throat, avoiding the sore redness patch to find a pulse.

"Nick?" Catherine spoke softly from the bottom of the stairs.

"He has a pulse." He called out to her, running his fingers down the younger man's arm. He quickly unfastened the straps around his wrists, going for the ones around his ankles as the woman joined him in the cellar. "Greg. Greg, c'mon baby." Nick brushed his thumb across the blood on the side of his partner's head, inspecting the wound. The blood was almost dry, but the wound looked painful. He smiled as he caught his eyes slowly fluttering open, reminding him of all the mornings he woke up beside the beautiful man. "You're safe now, G. It's Nick. I'm gonna get you out of here."

"I'll let Brass know we need a second ambulance." Catherine grabbed her walkie, quickly calling it in.

Greg blinked his eyes open and shut a few times, feeling his heart pounding as he tried to focus on the man above him. "Hi." He croaked through his sore, dry throat.

"Hi." Nick smiled back at him. "You're safe now, G."

"Did I miss it?" He spoke softly, feeling as though he had been hit by a truck.

"Miss what?" His boyfriend gave him a confused look.

"Baby . . . Sadie's birthday."

"It's still technically the second of March." Catherine reported from beside him, giving him a smile as he looked towards her. "So you didn't miss it. C'mon, let's get out of here. Are you alright to move?"

"I got him." Sliding his arm beneath Greg, the Texan assisted him to his feet, letting him lean against him as he helped him up the stairs. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

"Dizzy." Greg held onto his shoulders.

"Hold on." Nick stopped at the top of the stairs, bending down to hook his arm beneath his partner's legs. He swept him up into his arms with one clean sweep, carefully carrying him through the long lines of barrels towards the fading daylight outside. It felt a lot colder out there then it did just a few minutes ago, but he had Greg back safely in his arms, making him feel warm inside as though nothing could tear them apart after the day they had.

* * *

 **Happy Valentines Day! Sorry about the delay, it took me a while to get the chapter just how I wanted it. Thank you for your favouriting, following and private messages. They are much appreciated. Hopefully I will have the next chapter ready by next weekend, it depends how busy I am. Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!**

 **~ Holly**


	4. Chapter 4 - Recovery

**Chapter Four - Recovery**

Clutching the blinds string to his room, Greg anxiously watched the people passing his room, scanning each of their faces in search of friend or foe. He thought his anxiety would settle as soon as they were back to the civilisation of the city, but he was starting to feel oddly worse. The swarm of people peaked his anxiety the second they made it through the doors of the hospital. He wasn't poked and prodded for long, but his boyfriend didn't exactly stick around for very long either, leaving him alone once again.

"Hey, Nick's on his way back." Sara stepped through the doorway, setting down the extra coffee mug from her hands. "Shouldn't you still be laid up in bed or something? You said your skull was on fire when you first came in."

"I don't need to sleep." Greg shook his head, remaining put by the window. "Where exactly did he say he was going?"

"He's just dropping his daughter off with Catherine at the lab. He had a falling out with his sister, so he had to pick her up from the store rather than the house for some reason." Sara shrugged her shoulders together, taking a seat in one of the chairs against the wall. "Hey, he'll be back any minute, Greg. He's not going to leave you after all of this."

"I know." He put his back to the window. "I just really need to get out of here."

"I brought some cards." Sara pulled the pack out of her bag, giving him a smile. "After a few hands, you won't even notice the time." She ushered him over, watching him reluctantly abandoning his post at the window to sit beside her. "How's the head?"

"Pounding." He leant back in his seat. "I don't think I've ever been knocked out before. I passed out after the lab explosion for like a minute or so, but I was awake for every excruciating bump to the hospital. It feels kinda like I slept with a killer hangover or something and now I feel worse than when I went to sleep."

"Been there." Sara shuffled the cards in her hands, before she started to divide them up. "That's the concussion part for yah. It'll make you want to throw up and sleep for a while, but it goes away after a day or so. Mine was by my own doing though. Thirtieth birthday I got really drunk and I decided to dance. I ended up falling through a table and hit my head on the hardwood floor. The paramedic was cute though, so it wasn't all bad."

"Is that the infamous, Hank?" He collected up his cards from the table, catching a sly smile spreading across her lips. "I'll take that as a yes. Have you seen him since?" He queried, pulling his legs onto the chair.

"Few times." She shrugged her shoulders together.

"Better do a background check to be on the safe side. Are you still on a first name basis?"

"Greg, you can't blame yourself for any of this." Sara realised what he meant. "You couldn't have known that this psycho would ever do something like this. The truth is that you never really know what a person is like. It's hard enough to date as it is. After working the cases that we have, I don't see how any of us could ever build a lasting relationship with anyone." She glanced up at him, giving him a guilty smile. "Except you and Nick of course."

"Nice save." He gave her a slight smile, pulling his knees closer to his chest. "Nick's a good one." He nodded, "I don't envy you for having to start over with someone new. With him, I feel like my dating years are over. I never thought my crush would actually turn into a long lasting relationship, but he's the kind of guy I've always wanted. Just don't tell him that." He warned her.

"I'm sure he'd be flattered to know that."

"It'll go to his head and he'll start up with the questions again. I'll tell him. One day." He smiled, setting his cards on the table. "Full house. I win." He glanced towards the door as a man in a white lab coat walked in, looking between the two people, before he noticed the hospital band around Greg's wrist.

"Greg Sanders, I'm doctor Warner. We're ready to take you down for your head CT now." He opened the door a little wider to let the porter in with the wheelchair.

"Do I really need one? Besides a headache, I feel fine."

"It shouldn't take too long." Doctor Warner ignored his patient's complaints, helping the porter to get him set up in the wheelchair. He talked him through the scan on their way to it, noticing his patient's anxiety increasing as they made it into the room. "It won't take long and we're going to cover your stomach with this, so the baby will be protected." He presented him with a vest that felt heavy against his chest.

Greg lay back against the cold tray table, tilting his head back to look at the machine he was about to be pulled into. He was starting to wish that he insisted on the presence of his boyfriend during this scan, but he was already being pulled back into it, being told to lie completely still during the process. He had flashbacks of his recent imprisonment in the boot of a car, but he managed to keep himself still enough for the doctor to retrieve the images he needed of his brain.

When he was finally transported back to his room, Greg climbed straight into bed, resting his sore head against the pillow. They wouldn't let him sleep when he first arrived, but with some pain killers finally in his system and the doctor's orders, he was starting to feel more than a little sleepy. He didn't think he could sleep without the protection of his boyfriend nearby, but he was too exhausted to wait for him any longer.

He felt a little in and out of it for the next few hours. He woke up every time a nurse walked in to check on him, getting blinded in the eyes by the light of a pen torch every hour or so to check his pupils. He heard parts of conversations and saw the occasional CSI member beside his bed, but he managed to doze off to sleep every time, getting in another few minutes before the next disturbance.

There was one disturbance that he didn't mind though. He woke up to find Nick resting his head against the bed beside him, softly snoozing away. He reached his hand out to him, gently combing his fingers through the man's hair as he continued to sleep.

"Don't wake up." He whispered, pulling his hand back as the man started to move. He gritted his teeth together as Nick rubbed his eyes open, lifting his head from the bed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up." He smiled at him, adoring the look in his eyes as he saw him for the first time. "Hi."

"Hi." Nick grinned back at him, leaning forwards to seal a kiss to his lips. "Mmm. You were sleepin' when I came in, so I decided to crash until you woke up." He kissed him again, smiling widely as he pulled back to look into his eyes. "How do you feel?"

"A little headachy, but I'm okay. I just wonna get out of here."

"I wish I could be your knight in shinin' armour for this one, baby. But they want to keep you in for overnight observation." Nick gently brushed his thumb across his partner's chin, giving him a smile. "I managed to convince them to let me stay with you for the night. I told them you were a very important witness that I needed to keep a close eye on."

"You lied to them? You've already been arrested once, Mr Stokes."

"And they'll have to arrest me again if they want to take me away from you." Nick lifted the younger man's hand from his side, weaving their fingers tightly together. He pressed a kiss to the back of his partner's hand, before he held it close against his heart. "I love you, Greg. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"For starters, a long stretch in the big house with your crime spree." Greg gave him a smile. "I don't know what I'd do without you either, Nicky Stokes. C'mere," He reached his arms out to him, pulling the man close against his chest. He clutched him tightly, feeling his heart beating so close to him it felt as though it was inside of his own chest. He hooked his arm tightly around the man's shoulders, breathing in his familiar scent.

It was enough to bring tears to his eyes as he had been worrying that he would never be able to breathe in that scent of his again.

"Don't cry, baby." Nick clutched him closer as he felt his tears on his neck. He gently smoothed his hand up and down the younger man's back, holding onto him as he let out what he had been holding in since his abduction. "Feel better?" He pulled back slightly, pressing his lips to a salty tear streak on his cheek. He brushed the rest away with his fingers, adoring the angelic glow of his boyfriend's face. "He's not comin' back, baby. He's dead. Warrick was there for the autopsy. They pulled Brass' slugs out of him about an hour ago."

"It's not that." He wiped his hand across his cheek, sniffling back the rest of his tears.

"Did he hurt you?" Nick could only see the significant amount of bruising to the side of his head, immediately making him fear all the other things that Stuart could have done to him during that time.

"Not a lot." He shook his head slightly, realising Nick wasn't going to let him get away with that simple answer. "You mean besides the assault in my apartment. The knockout cloth. Being trapped in the trunk of a car. Breathing in car fumes for a few miles and then finally the fatal blow to my head. Compared to Stuart's last boyfriend, I think I got off lightly. At least my skull and brain matter isn't decorating the floor."

"He didn't..." The older man couldn't even say the words for himself. He didn't even want to imagine someone hurting the man he loved like that.

"No." Greg put his mind at ease. "Definitely no."

Nick gave him a slight smile, gently brushing his thumb across his partner's cheek. "He's not worth your tears, G. You're safe with me. I'll never let anyone hurt you again." He leant forwards, pressing a kiss to the centre of his forehead. He lightly kissed the bruise to the side of his head, relieved that Stuart didn't get a chance to put a bullet through his head like he did with his last victim. "You should get some sleep. You need your rest. Your doc told me you have a concussion."

"Only if you stay right here." Greg inched over, giving his partner more room to lay down beside him again. He smiled as Nick immediately placed his hand over his stomach, focusing his attention on the little life growing inside of him. "The doc said they have a strong steady heartbeat. He said he'd do an ultrasound in the morning."

"He didn't want to do one now?"

Greg shook his head. "He did the doppler thing to listen to the heart, but he said there was no need unless I had a concern. Stuart didn't hit me anywhere near there, so the doc said it would be fine to wait to do one."

Nick lifted his gaze to meet Greg's, feeling his heart pounding as he looked into his eyes. When he found his apartment in that state just a few hours ago, he thought his dream life with Greg was over before it had even begun. He must have watched him sleeping beside him for a few hours or so, before he finally managed to doze off to sleep himself.

He woke up before Greg did the next morning, startled awake by the sound of a noisy trolley being carted down the corridor. He leant forwards to press a kiss to Greg's forehead, checking he was still breathing, before he attempted to climb off the uncomfortable bed. He checked his phone for messages, spotting some familiar faces out in the hall.

"Good Mornin'." He joined them outside, running his fingers through his hair. "Were you here all night?"

"No, we just got here a few minutes ago." Jean climbed to her feet first, wrapping her arms tightly around her future son in law's shoulders. "You were both still asleep, so we decided to wait out here. How's he doing?"

"Doc said he escaped with a concussion. He was a little shaken up last night, but I think he's okay." He took a step back from her, giving Daniel a quick hug. "Can you stay with him while I go check on Sadie and get a change of clothes and things?"

"Of course." Daniel gave him a nod. "Is he going home today?"

"Hopefully." Nick stuffed his hands into his pockets, confessing, "We don't exactly have a home to go to at the moment. Greg's apartment is still a crime scene. It's closed off until Ecklie decides to release the scene. I need to find us a place to stay before he's released."

"We can get you a hotel room at the place where we're staying." Jean suggested, knowing he was going to turn down the offer the second she made it.

"No thank you, I don't want Greg's first night out of hospital to be in a hotel. I'll find somewhere." He stopped to check on Greg one more time, before he slipped away to try and sort things out before he was discharged from the hospital.

When Greg finally managed to open his eyes, he reached out for the warmth of his partner, only to find himself alone. He rolled his head back against the pillow, catching sight of his father's hand on his mother's knee. She had her arm wrapped tightly around his, gazing out the window beside them as they waited for their son to wake up.

"Hi." He croaked, alerting their attention.

Daniel pushed himself to his feet first, assisting his wife up, before they made it to Greg's side. "Morning." He put his arms around his son, feeling the weight of Jean's arms around them both a moment later. When she finally released her grip, they both pulled back to check over their son for themselves.

"Did you sleep well?" Jean perched herself on the edge of the bed.

"Your eye is less bloodshot then last night." Daniel noticed, pressing a kiss to the top of his son's head. "Your mother couldn't sleep at all last night worrying about you. That's why she looks worse than you this morning."

"Thank you very much." She gave her husband a playful slap. "I always said there was something I didn't like about that man."

"This the famous I told you so speech?" Greg rolled his eyes. "Because I really don't need to hear it."

"No speech." She shook her head, holding her son's hand tightly in her own. "I'm just glad that he didn't get a chance to hurt you like he did that other man. We saw his parents at the station."

"Stuart's?" He gave her a confused look.

"Bradley's." Daniel corrected him. "His father introduced himself to us. His wife was a wreck."

"As would I be if my baby had just been murdered." His mother clutched his hand a little tighter, cutting off the blood supply to his fingers. "Those poor people. I can't imagine what they're going through." She felt guilty for feeling so relieved that her son didn't suffer the same fate, but she was just so happy that her son was the one who survived. "I'm glad you're okay, sweetheart." She leant forwards to hug him again, starting up the water works as she thought about what Bradley's parents were going through right now.

"Nick didn't leave your side all night." Daniel smiled at him as soon as he was able to breathe. "He'll be back in no time. He just went to check on Sadie and sort a few things out."

"So we've got some time to kill." Jean grasped her hands together, giving him a smile. "Got any juicy gossip to share or interesting stories to tell?" She had the same look in her eyes that she used to get when she was asking how his day at school was, putting a smile across his lips. "How's the pregnancy treating you?"

"Morning sickness isn't so bad anymore. I feel hungry most of the time, but I hardly know it's there anymore. I don't know what you complained so much about. This part seems like a breeze."

"Just you wait. You're only fourteen weeks into it. I think after twenty weeks with you I really started to feel it. Wait until none of your clothes fit, your ankles and hands are swollen and everything hurts. You'll be cursing that little monster inside of you by the third trimester. Luckily it has a happy ending, otherwise no one would ever want to go through all of that again. Do you know what you're having yet?"

Greg shook his head, checking on his father to make sure he wasn't too uncomfortable by the conversation. "I want it to be a surprise. Not that this whole thing hasn't been enough of a surprise, but finding out what they are before they're ready to face the world seems like a huge invasion of privacy." He confessed, giving them both a smile. "And I had enough of that with you growing up."

"Compared to parents these days, I don't think I was that bad." Jean protested. "We didn't even have cell phones or computers when you were younger."

Greg simply smiled, tilted his head back against the pillow. "Did you find out what I was?"

"No." Jean shook her head. "When I was pregnant with you, we weren't even allowed to see you on the monitor until I was in my third trimester. They didn't do as many ultra sounds back then as they do now. I had a dating scan quite early on and the final one to check your position before you were born, but that was it. The midwife thought you were transverse, but the scan showed that you had moved into breech. The whole thing was a guessing game with you. I thought for sure I was carrying twins at first because I was so uncomfortable, but there was just the one of you. Thankfully. I wasn't even offered an ultrasound when I first found out I was pregnant though."

"It's not that amazing." Greg held onto her hand. "My doc wants to do an ultrasound today if you want to stick around for it."

"So, what shall we do in the meantime?" Jean looked around the hotel room, seeing a pack of cards and a book. She grabbed for the cards, handing them over to her husband to divvy up, while she checked out the book. "Expecting a baby." She read the title, taking a look at the chapter titles inside. "Chapter One, what nobody tells you about childbirth. Who bought this for you? You won't find out anything from these books that I couldn't tell you."

"Sara bought it from the gift shop to pass some time. I didn't get a chance to look at it yet."

"Your hands are freezing." His father noticed, handing him his cards first. "Are you warm enough?"

"We can ask them for some extra blankets." Jean suggested.

"Would you two stop fussing." He snapped at the two of them. "I'm fine. I don't need babysitting. Nothing happened."

"The large purple section of your head says different." His mother folded her arms across her chest, returning to his side. "You had us worried sick, so we're allowed to fuss over you. We weren't even allowed to see Nick while you were missing. They had him locked up under the suspicion that he had done something to you."

"Well he didn't. Nick would never hurt me. He's not capable of it. You should know that. Don't tell me you actually thought that he could do something horrible to me."

"I didn't know what to think at first. That Ecklie man told us that you had been assaulted and Nick was being held for questioning. I thought for sure that they were preparing us to identify your dead body when they brought us upstairs to the lab, but then Ms Willows was telling us something completely different to the other man and they're all talking about a murder that the suspect had already committed."

Greg sighed softly, glancing at his father beside him. "If she's gonna continue to yell at me, can you take her out of here?"

"This is between you and your mother." Daniel spoke softly, not wanting to take sides this time as she was clearly still very emotional about it all. He was just relieved that his son was relatively unharmed by the situation, but he knew his wife was going to dwell on it for a while yet as she never could let things go lightly.

"I told you that working a career like this was reckless and dangerous. Do you even value your life?" Jean continued her rant from the foot of his bed.

"What are you even on about?" Greg gave her a confused look. "It wasn't even my career that got me into this situation. It was my dating life. If anything, my career probably saved my life. If I had never come here and met the team of the Las Vegas crime lab, they probably wouldn't have found me until my body showed up in a dingy motel room off the edge of town. They wouldn't have even known I was missing if Nick hadn't gone to my apartment." He pointed out to her, handing the cards from his hand back to his father. "I don't feel like playing right now. I'm still kinda tired." He dropped his head back to the uncomfortable pillow beneath him, still smelling the scent of Nick around him.

"Do you want us to go? We won't go far." Daniel assured him, but his son just shook his head, before he closed his eyes. He took his seat beside his son's bed, ushering his wife over to join him. She was still mad at her son for making her worry like that, but just like when he was a baby, watching him sleep had a calming effect on her.

When he woke up a few hours later, Greg caught sight of his mother getting up from her chair, heading for the door to his room. He thought it might have been Nick finally showing up, but it was just his father with a tray full of goodies. "Mmm, is that apple crumble?"

"Hands off, it's for Greg." Daniel smiled back at her, setting the tray on the tray table beside his son's bed. "Good Morning, sleepy head. How's the head feel?" He examined the large purplish area on the side of his son's head, wishing he could have got his hands on Stuart before the police did to pay him back for hurting his child. "Your phones fully charged. I went back to the car for it." He pulled it out of his pocket, handing it over to Greg. "Are you feeling better?" He bent to press a kiss to his son's forehead.

"Yeah, I just wonna go home." Greg couldn't stand being trapped in the hospital for another hour, even if it was just for sleeping. "Where's Nick?" He brushed the sleep from his eyes, struggling to sit up against the headboard.

"Clearing out his and Sadie's things from his sister's." Jean took her coffee from her husband, returning to her seat beside her son. "Apparently, they had some big argument that couldn't wait until tomorrow to sort out. She was throwing his stuff out on the street or something. Any idea what went on there?"

"Not a clue. I was kinda tied up." Greg reluctantly took the spoon from his father's hand, knowing his father was under strict orders from Nick to make sure he ate something. He grabbed the pudding cup from his hands, poking at it with his spoon for a minute, before he tasted a bit. It wasn't great, but it filled his stomach with warmth.

"I heard his sister say that their parents were in town." Jean confessed to her snooping. "Nick said he wouldn't come back to her house with them there. I asked if he wanted us to get a hotel room for the three of you until you can go back to your apartment, but he said he can sort it. I thought Nick was close to his parents?"

"You know he's too proud to accept something that big. You've already tried to bribe him once already." Daniel grinned at his wife. "It seems like he's fallen out with his sister more than his parents anyway."

Instead of giving his parents his boyfriend's full history, Greg kept quiet, filling his stomach with the slightly soggy apple crumble. He ditched the finished pudding cup after a while, listening to his parents talking about the investigation as he started to doze off to sleep again. He jolted himself awake as a rattling noise barrelled through the corridor, feeling his heart racing inside his chest. He watched the noisy trolley full of scrubs disappearing down the hall, trying to settle his nerves. He found himself jumping to any sound after that, wishing that Nick would hurry up so he could home.

He couldn't stand another moment of this torture.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy your weekend. More on the way soon.**

 **~ Holly**


	5. Chapter 5 - Back to Normality

**Chapter Five - Back to Normality**

When he finally heard the familiar rasp of his boyfriend's voice, Greg was ready to jump right out of bed to leave with him, but the man was busy talking to one of the doctors outside his room. He watched him anxiously scratching his elbow as he talked to the man, recognising it as one of Nick's nervous traits.

"You're awake." His mother pushed herself to her feet, seeing his eyes fluttering open. "We keep losing you to sleep at the moment." She gave him a smile, anxiously checking him over herself. "Your Texas hero is back. You kept saying it in your sleep." She grinned at him, gently brushing her fingers through his hair. "How's the head feeling?"

"Better." He struggled to sit up, brushing the sleep from his eyes. "Can we go home now?"

"I think your new doctor just wants to do an ultrasound, before you're discharged." She assured him.

"Why, so he can start his own medical journal? The doctor last night said it wasn't necessary." Struggling to sit up, Greg rubbed his dead arm, feeling a cramp in his leg too. He was sick of all the doctors and the tests, so he planned on leaving before they could do anymore "I want to go." He climbed out of the other side of his bed, stumbling over one of the monitor cables.

"Hey, take it easy." His father caught his arm. "You took a serious blow to the head yesterday. We'll get you out of here, you just have to be patient. Okay?" He knew how much his son hated hospitals, but he had always been there to calm him before. "Here, sit down a minute."

Greg reluctantly perched himself on the end of the bed, leaning back on his hands as he watched his boyfriend outside. He anxiously tapped his fingers against the bedding while he waited, practically jumping up as soon as he stepped inside. "Hi." He threw his arms around Nick's shoulders, holding him tight against his chest. "Can we go now?"

"Soon. They just want to give you a quick ultrasound. Just to make sure everythin' is okay." Nick caught his arms, leading him back to the bed. "You're supposed to be restin'. You have a concussion." He brushed his fingers through his partner's hair, before he pressed a kiss to the centre of his forehead. "Let me worry about everythin' else."

"He hates hospitals." Jean took a step back, admiring the way the other man took care of her son. He tucked him back into the hospital bed, gently combing his fingers through his hair as he looked into his eyes. "Daniel, let's go get some fresh air. These fumes are starting to get to me."

"Okay, Greg's clothes are in the cupboard down there." Daniel pointed it out to Nick, leaving them to it. He was a little disappointed about not being able to stick around for the ultrasound, but he knew they needed their privacy more.

"I missed you. You were gone ages." Greg clutched his partner's hand tightly. "Can we go home, please? I can't stay here another minute."

"Not just yet. And I wasn't gone that long." Nick smiled softly, perching himself on the bed beside him. "I missed you too. I was arrangin' a place for us to stay tonight. Your place is off limits until the case is closed. Bobby from ballistics has a spare room we can stay in at his condo. And he's away until Friday on a conference, so we'll have the place to ourselves." He presented him with the keys from his pocket.

"I know I'm a new CSI, but doesn't the case close when the suspects dead?"

"Somethin' to do with Ecklie. He won't release the scene, so we can't go home. He's been threatenin' to have Catherine suspended for releasin' me." Nick turned himself around, resting his head against the pillow beside Greg's. He held his hand tightly at his side, breathing in his familiar scent. "Sara picked up some of your clothes and things. Ecklie had to okay it all first, but she managed to make it out with your essentials. Catherine is gonna bring Sadie by as soon we're settled."

"Bobby doesn't mind?"

"Nope, he gave me the keys himself. Apparently, he really likes you. Should I be worried?"

"Just a New Years kiss about four years ago. But you have nothing to worry about." Greg smiled widely, shaking his head as he tilted his head back to look into his partner's eyes. "My heart belongs to you. My hero." He leant closer, pressing a kiss to the older man's cheek. "My Mom told me about what happened with your sister. Are you okay?"

Nick sighed softly, tilting his head to the side. "I asked her not to."

"You know my mother can't keep anything to herself." He smiled back at him, holding his hand tightly in his own. "Been one of those days, huh? You'd think being abducted would be the highlight."

"It doesn't exactly work like that with us." The man smirked, running his fingers through his hair. "We'll be out of here soon, baby. We can get back to some kind of normal existence."

"You're forgetting about your little parasite growing inside me." He grinned back at him. "Did Ecklie really arrest you while I was missing?"

"Yeah, he was convinced that I had done somethin' to get rid of you. And I wasn't really your hero, G." He confessed, brushing his fingers across the restraint shaped bruises around the younger man's wrist. "I was a mess. I ran from my sister's to find you, but I found your apartment instead. I shut down after I saw your place. The team saved you. Grissom, Sara, Warrick, Catherine... they're your heroes. Even Deputy Metcalfe took a bullet that was meant for me. I was just chained to a table the whole time."

"My hero cut me free and carried me out of my prison. You kept me going." Greg pointed out to him, tugging the man a little closer by the sweatshirt he was wearing to seal their lips together. "He's also an amazing kisser." He smiled against his lips. "Is Metcalfe alright?"

"Yeah. He's back at work already. Desk duty with his arm in a sling. He's more worried about you. He stopped by to see you when he was discharged, but you were out like a light." Brushing his thumb down the side of his Greg's head, the man smiled widely as he looked into his eyes. "Grissom and Brass stopped by too. Doc Robbins was askin' after you, the lab techs from graveyard shift."

"I didn't realise I was so popular."

"You are." Nick leant forwards to kiss him, holding him in his arms for the next few minutes, until it was time for the ultrasound. He was very excited to see the baby himself as it had been nearly six weeks since the first scan. He never got the chance to experience watching Sadie grow, but he had the chance to watch his second baby growing inside the man he adored.

The doctor got them set up in a smaller dark room just down the hall, handing them over to a technician to make sure that the baby was still healthy after the ordeal that Greg had just suffered through. He held onto Nick's hand the whole time, not letting him leave his side as the monitor sparked to life, showing them familiar, yet surprisingly bigger shape of their unborn baby.

After further exploration, they got to see the tiny arms and legs moving about, kicking at the surface of his stomach. He couldn't feel the movement himself, but Greg watched the chest rising and falling in amazement, just able to see the fingers twitching on the end of their little hand. He could have watched the tiny human moving for hours, but the technician switched it off as soon as he was satisfied with the results.

"You can't call it 'my little parasite' anymore." The Texan grinned at the younger man, wiping the gel off his stomach for him. "Can I take him home now?" He turned to the doctor.

"Yes, you'll need to keep an eye on him though." The doctor warned the other man. "If you feel tired, sleep. If your headache becomes persistent or you start throwing up, come back in. I would really like to keep you in another night for observation, but Nick has been pretty insistent about getting you home. I wouldn't recommend returning to work for a few days and I suggest you avoid driving until you're feeling a hundred percent again."

"Okay." Greg sat up straight, swinging his legs over the side of the table, eager to get out of there. He quickly made his way back to his room without the wheelchair this time, struggling to get dressed as quickly as he could. With the older man's assistance, he was dressed in no time, being forced to sit in a wheelchair for the long journey through the hospital to the car outside.

As soon as the last set of doors slid open, Greg inhaled a deep breath of the fresh air outside, feeling as though it was his first taste of freedom since he was first attacked in his apartment. He had been forced from the trunk of a car to the holding cell of wine cellar then to the confined space of an ambulance and finally the small hospital room. The fresh air outside was real freedom. No walls, restrictions or tightening in his chest. He could look all the way up at the sky and see for miles across the crowded car park.

"Man I'm really hungry now." He noticed, feeling his stomach growling with hunger. He felt the vibrations ripple through his empty stomach for a few minutes, only to stop for a few seconds before it started up again.

"We'll getcha some food before we get to Bobby's." Nick promised him.

"Thank you." Greg tilted his head back to look at Nick, studying his gorgeous features as he wheeled him over to the car. He trusted this man with all of his heart, feeling safer just by having him around. "Wait, not yet." He stopped the man from helping him up and into another small space. "Can we just stay here a minute?"

"Yeah." Nick pushed the brake to the wheelchair on, perching himself on the passenger side step to his truck. "We can stay here until your parents get back." He pulled his phone out of his pocket to text them. "I'll give em a lift back to their hotel, so they don't have to take a cab." He glanced up at Greg as he sent the message, smiling as the younger man had his head tilted back, staring up at the clouds above them.

"When you were a kid, did you ever stare up at the clouds?"

"Sometimes, I guess." The man shrugged his shoulders.

"There's a goat with two heads." Greg pointed his arm up in the sky. "And a sausage dog... with five legs. Or that one could be the tail."

"That's the drugs talkin', right? The blow to your head didn't give you brain damage."

"C'mere," Reaching his hand out for Nick's, Greg pulled him closer, pointing his attention towards the clouds in the sky. "Look up. What do you see?"

"Sky." Nick knelt down beside him, following the younger man's guide to the clouds above them. He smiled as the man beside him pointed out the various shapes in the clouds for the next few minutes, starting to sound like himself again now that he felt safe.

When he finally managed to get him in the car, Greg was too sleepy to keep his eyes open. He snoozed straight through Nick dropping his parents off at their hotel, missing the quick trip through the store for some food, but he woke up as the truck rolled to a stop outside of Bobby's place, just in time to inspect where they would be living for the next few days.

"Here we go. Can you manage?" Nick unlocked the door, gently leading the younger man inside. He pushed the front door shut behind him, going for the blinds against the front room window to let in some light. He whistled as the light uncovered the long stretch of black tile floor. The kitchen was all chrome and the front room had brown leather chairs and a large glass coffee table. "I'm startin' to rethink lettin' Sadie anywhere near any of this stuff." He bent to examine the weird looking glass statue on the floor, quickly deciding to take his shoes off before they left scuff marks on the floor.

"Everyone has a nicer place than me." The younger man followed his lead, leaving his trainers at the door. He padded across the floor to the kitchen, brushing his hand across the smooth marble counter. "How many guys do you think Bobby's brought back here to, you know." He wiggled his eyebrows, looking round at Nick. "Is that why he let us stay here? He's probably got secret cameras in the walls."

"He does not." Nick found the door to the guest bedroom, confirming it was the right room as Bobby said there weren't any sheets on the bed yet. He followed the man's instructions to find the sheets in the cupboard down the hall, taking them through to the bedroom in case Greg needed to lie down. He had been falling in and out of sleep since he took him to the hospital, but the doctor had assured him that it was a normal part of his recovery at this stage.

"He has an entire room just to shower in." Greg stepped into the bathroom across the hall, looking at the drain in the middle of the floor and the shower sprinklers all on the roof. "He must play out a locker room fantasy or something in here." He smirked, following his partner's lead into the bedroom across the hall. "A fire place in the bedroom." He noticed it right away, rolling his toes in the soft rug beneath his feet. "Is this the kind of place you envision us having one day?"

"No." The Texan immediately shook his head, straightening out the bottom sheet on the bed first. "This place is a death trap for a baby. It doesn't even feel very homely, it's more of a show house than a family home where people actually live. I want somethin' like your folks home. It feels warm when you walk inside. Like home."

"I know what you mean." He reached for one of the pillow cases to help make the bed, tossing the finished pillow towards the headboard. He climbed onto the bed after completing just the one pillow, getting a curious look out of Nick as he crawled to the middle of the huge bed. "I don't want to go back to my apartment."

"We can't anyway, G." Nick pointed out to him, reaching out for his partner's leg to playfully pull him towards the edge of the bed. "Ecklie's gonna keep it under lock and key for as long as he can."

"No I mean... I don't want to go back, ever. I want us to live together in our own place... like now, not in the future, now." He reached out for Nick's belt buckle, pulling him onto the bed with him. "Maybe not a place as extravagant as this. But somewhere that we both own and feels like home to us." He dropped his head back to the only pillow on the bed, separating his thighs as Nick crawled on top of him. He gave out a soft whimper as he felt the full weight of the man on top of him, sliding his arms around him to hold him closer. "I want to wake up beside you and sleep beside you every night. Sadie needs a stable home and thanks to your over fertile-ness we're expecting a second before we've even been together for a year. You can't keep living at your sister's and I don't want to live alone anymore."

"Technically, my sister's already kicked me out because I didn't agree with her birthday surprise, so we're both homeless at the moment."

"Does that mean yes?" Greg gave him a confused look.

"Of course," Nick smiled down at him. "But you need to rest first. You've got a concussion and a baby in yah belly. We've still got loads of time to find a house."

"I know, but it's a little human now. And you know how quickly time flies. Sadie's one already. It still feels like she was only just born a few days ago. You're over your panic attacks and kissing me frequently in public. It wasn't too long ago that you were refusing any kind of contact with me. Now you're the one who pretty much initiates everything between us. I think I love you even more than I ever did before." Greg combed his fingers back through his partner's hair, pulling him closer to seal a kiss to his lips. He held his head close to his shoulder after a brief kiss, listening to his soft breaths whistling through his nose. "I love you, Nick."

"I love you more." Nick held him close. "I couldn't bear it if anythin' happened to you."

"What are we going to do? About the baby, I mean."

"We'll keep it in a drawer until it's ready for college." Nick directly quoted something the younger man had said to him. "What do you mean what are we goin' to do? We'll have it together and raise it as a family."

"I mean about us. You've taken nearly a year off work to be with Sadie."

"Not even that. She didn't come out of the hospital until she was about four months." He reminded him. "I've only been off work since we moved in with you and I started datin' you." Nick brushed his fingers across the slight protrusion in Greg's abdomen, wondering when he would be able to feel his baby kick for the first time. "If you want, you can take some time off to be with the baby. You've got a while yet, but you might not wonna work until you're full term. You might not even be able to if you can't bend down to collect evidence. I for one can't wait to get back to work. I love spendin' time with Sadie, but I miss workin'. Seein' my friends, earnin' a pay check." He smirked, looking up into the younger man's eyes. "Do you want to take time off?"

"You know if you go back to work, we're not allowed to work together anymore. Lab policy and all. Grissom said one of us would have to switch shifts."

"I figured." Nick nodded slightly, placing his palm flat on Greg's stomach. "That doesn't mean we won't get to see each other. I can switch shifts if you want. Workin' nights wouldn't really work around Sadie's schedule, so I could take swing shift. They're always short staffed. Or I can work in the lab. I haven't done it since I was back in Texas, but I've always liked lab work."

"No you don't, you love the adrenaline of a crime scene." His partner smiled back at him, knowing him too well. "I'll switch to the lab, so you can be with your old team. At least until the baby is born. Then you and my Mom won't have to worry about me so much. Grissom said there's a new CSI starting up on graveyard shift in a week or so anyway... what was that?" He perked up, hearing a knocking sound coming from somewhere.

"It's okay." Nick felt him shaking beneath him, looking as though he had seen a ghost. "It's just the front door. You okay?" He gently brushed his thumb across the younger man's jaw line. "Baby, he's not comin' back. He's dead."

"I know." Greg forced a smile up at him, trying to steady his breathing. "You better go answer it."

"Okay, I'll be right back." Nick sealed a quick kiss to his lips, before he scrambled for the edge of the bed. He turned back to check on him, before he hurried through the house towards the front door, smiling at the sight of his adorable little girl in Catherine's arms. "Hi, thank you, Auntie Catherine." He lifted his daughter from her arms, hugging her tightly against his chest for a moment. "Hello, baby girl. Did you miss me?"

"It's no problem. Lindsey and I love having her round. So this is Bobby's place?"

"Shoes." He quickly warned her, worried about the scuff marks her heels would cause on the immaculate floor. "We're guests here. I don't think Bobby will appreciate you snoopin'."

"I'm just going to have a look." Catherine flicked off her heels, tip toeing towards the chrome kitchen. "Is Greg doing alright? Wow, this place is... what kinda salary does Bobby get?" She smirked, continuing through to the front room. "Nice view." She stepped up to the window. "You're not going to let Sadie crawl around in here are you?"

"No." He patted his daughter's back. "There's carpets in the bedroom. We'll just have to pick any breakables up off the floor. It's just for a few days until we find someplace else." Nick glanced back towards the hallway, worried about Greg being on his own. "I'll just go put her down, before I grab the stuff from your car. Be right back, don't touch anything." He warned her, carrying her through to the bedroom. "It's just Catherine. Stay with Papa a minute, baby girl." He handed her over to the younger man.

"Hi, monkey." Greg smiled widely, taking her into his arms.

"Will you be alright for a minute?"

"Yeah. We'll be okay." He securely held her against his chest for a moment, before she started to struggle. He let her crawl free onto the mattress beside him, smiling as she gurgled softly, examining the satin soft sheets on the bed.

"Keep an eye on her, G. Don't let her fall."

"She's fine." The younger man rolled onto his side to watch her, leaving Nick to retrieve her things from Catherine's car. Crawling on her hands and knees towards the headboard, Sadie gave out a squeal, struggling to pull herself up against the bars. "Where you going, little monkey?" He crawled closer to her, smiling at her as she patted her hand against the bars of the headboard, listening to the echo sound through the hollow iron. "Whatcha doing?" He struggled to sit up, gently combing his fingers through her static hair. "Shall we buy you a drum kit. That'll drive Daddy crazy, won't it?"

"Da, da, da, da..." Sadie chanted, falling backwards onto her diapered bottom. She turned over, reaching for Greg's fingers on the bed. She studied them curiously for a moment, before she grasped her hand around his thumb. "Pa... Papa... Papa..." She started chanting his name, shrieking as he swept his hands beneath her arms to hold her close against his chest.

"You beautiful little monkey. What is with your hair today? We'll have to get you a hat so it doesn't stick up all over." Greg flattened her tousled hair with his hand, smiling at her as she tilted her head back against his shoulder. "Are you tired too?" He caught her yawning. "We can't go to sleep without some warm milk, can we? C'mon, let's go pester Daddy for some food." He lifted her higher against his chest, sliding towards the edge of the bed. He stopped to sit on the edge, placing his hand over his stomach as he felt a light flutter. He smiled as he felt it again, looking at the baby he had in his arms already.

It was weird to think that she was going to be a big sister very soon, but it was even weirder to think that he'd have two small baby's calling him 'Papa', depending on him to feed, change, clothe and look after them for at least the next eighteen years. He figured by the age of fifty he'd finally be free of them, but then he realised that his mother hadn't exactly been free of him or his problems past the age of eighteen.

"Hey baby," Nick poked his head into the room. "Catherine's gone. Do you want somethin' to eat now? What's wrong?" He saw the look on his face as he held his stomach.

Greg ushered him closer, giving him a reassuring smile. "I can feel the baby move."

"This early?" He quickly made his way into the room, kneeling down in front of the younger man. He carefully placed his hand on his partner's stomach, waiting to feel the same movement Greg could feel, but it was too deep inside Greg for him to feel. "What does is it feel like?"

"Bubbles. Or like I swallowed a fish and it's swimming round in there. You can't feel it?" Holding onto Nick's hand, Greg pressed it closer to the bottom of his stomach, but he could tell from the slight disappointment on Nick's face that he still couldn't feel anything. "You'll be able to feel it when it starts kicking. Have you ever felt a baby kick before?"

"No." He shook his head. "My sister, Lily tried to get me to feel her baby kick when I was seventeen. But it stopped kickin' every time I even got near her. I didn't know about Sadie long enough to feel her kick. The first time she kicked me I was changin' her diaper at four months. Our baby will be the first kick I'll feel."

"Bay-bee." Sadie copied her father, reaching her hand out to him.

"Do you want to feel the baby too?" Nick smiled at her, pressing a kiss to the back of her little hand. "You're goin' to have a baby brother or sister to look after soon. You'll be good practice for Papa until then."

"You've never left us alone for more than an hour before, what if I can't do it?" He started to worry.

"You'll do fine." Climbing to his feet, Nick cupped the younger man's face in his hands, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I trust you with her life. Sadie's your baby just as much as she's mine."

* * *

 **Thank you for reading. More on the way soon, hopefully by next weekend again. I'm trying to stick with one project at a time for the moment, just so I can get this finished and uploaded to you guys.**

 **~ Holly**


	6. Chapter 6 - Speak Out

**Chapter Six - Speak Out**

"Do this one thing for me so I can stop worryin' about you?" Nick gently brushed his thumb across his boyfriend's cheek, looking into his eyes. "If you're really as okay as you say you are, then this should be a piece of cake for you." He knew that something was troubling Greg as he had jumping at his own shadow for the past few days. He knew it was expected after what he went through, but he didn't want to lose him into a scared shell. "I'll be right here the whole time."

Greg sighed, reaching for the car door handle beside him. "I'll go for you, but it's still a total waste of time." He climbed out the car, quietly clicking it shut behind him so Sadie could continue to sleep in the back. He made his way towards the building ahead of them, avoiding direct eye contact with anyone in the waiting room as he made his way towards the front desk. "Hi, I'm here to see..." His mind went blank for the name part. "I'm Greg."

"Greg Sanders?" The receptionist read the name off her appointment book. "Ms Langley is just finishing up with her last appointment. Take a seat. Can I get you something to drink?"

"No, thank you. I'm fine." Greg turned for the chairs behind him, taking a seat in the chair against the wall. He smiled at the woman watching him in the other seat, trying to busy himself with the magazines and things beside him while he waited for his appointment. He had no idea what he was going to say. He had never exactly been to one of these before.

Sharing his emotions with a trusted friend, colleague or even his boyfriend was easy, but talking to a complete stranger about the fear he had been dealing with seemed more than a little awkward.

When his name was finally called, he thought about heading in the other direction, but then Nick would know that he didn't take it seriously. He could have hidden in the bathroom for the next hour or so, but she had already spied him in his seat.

"Mr Greg Sanders." She called his name again, motioning him through to her office as he finally glanced round at her. "When you're ready to begin." Ms Langley returned to her office, leaving the door open to let him come in his own time. "Take a seat, anywhere you like." She smiled at him, opening up a fresh page of her notebook. "So, why don't you tell me why you decided to seek professional help."

"I didn't." Greg dropped to the edge of the sofa, feeling uncomfortable already.

"Oh." The woman crossed one leg over the other, studying her new patient as he examined the room around him.

He didn't exactly like the decor, but it made the room feel like his Papa Olaf's old study. She had a very old fashioned taste in furniture for someone in her late thirties he guessed, but he was overwhelmed with the sickly scent of lavender as he leant back against the cushions of the plaid sofa, reminding him of Nana Olaf's workshop. She knitted dozens of scarf's, gloves and jumpers in her lavender scented work shop, while he sat with his colouring book and crayons just a few feet away.

"Is there anything that you would like to talk about? Maybe something that you feel you can't share with someone else." She tried to get him started.

"My... partner thinks that I need to speak someone." He confessed, placing his hands in his lap. "I think I'm okay, but my friends and family won't stop worrying about me."

"What are they worried about?" She gave him a curious look. "You're here now, so why don't you tell me what they would be worried about."

Greg gave out a soft sigh, deciding to speak. "A few weeks ago, I was attacked and abducted. I was knocked out for most of it, but everyone is still worrying about me. I don't think it was a big deal, but they won't let it go."

"Do you think they have a good reason to be worried?"

The younger man shrugged his shoulders together, placing his hand over his stomach as he felt the familiar butterflies from the baby's movements. "The thing is... the guy that abducted me was a... friend... once. I feel kinda bad that he ended up like that." He admitted something to her that he could never admit to Nick. "Is that weird?"

"If this person really was your friend once, it's only natural for you to feel something towards them."

"Even though he murdered someone, kidnapped me, held me hostage and then tried to kill my boyfriend?" He filled her in, leaning back in his seat. "Even though he did all that, I still feel bad. Like I coulda done something or saved him somehow. He was a psycho in the end, but he wasn't always like that."

"You think it's your fault?"

"Not so much solely my fault." Greg shook his head, removing his hand from his stomach as she started to notice. "Maybe just a little though." He changed his mind. "It took me a year to get him out of my life. When I needed somebody, I called him and he being how he was, naturally assumed that it meant that I wanted him back. But when I didn't, he took it bad and he got back with this other guy who he held hostage for six months, until he came after me. So you see how I can believe that this whole thing is my fault."

"Did you love this man?" She queried next, noticing a smirk on the younger man's face as he shook his head. "What kind of relationship did you have with him?"

"Boyfriend. I never loved him. I don't think." He picked at a thread on his t-shirt. "I've only ever felt real love for one man."

"Do you feel that you couldn't love him because of what he did?"

"Because of a million other things he did from before." He realised how much easier it was to open up to her rather than Nick. He didn't have to worry about hurting her feelings by confessing a few things to her, whereas he was afraid to tell Nick all of this in case it meant the end of their relationship. "We dated a few years ago and deep down I always knew that he wasn't good for me, but I had this delusion in my head that he was all I deserved. Of course he told me that dozens of times."

"Told you what?" She directed another curious look his way.

"That no one would ever love me the way he did. He wasn't always bad though." He sighed as the thread from his t-shirt came free, pulling away the hem in his hand. He looked up at the woman in front of him, confessing, "First time I came to Las Vegas with my friends, we hit a few casinos before we found a strip club. My friend, Davey took loads of pictures on my camera. When we got back home in California, Stuart found my camera. He completely lost it when he found this one picture. It wasn't like it was that intimate. I had known Davey since I was twelve. Stuart had always been a little jealous of me going out with my friends, but he went completely nuts over this innocent picture of him and me together."

"Completely nuts?" The woman cocked an eyebrow in his direction. "What did he do?"

"Hit me with the camera." Greg pointed to the side of his head. "He hit me so hard I felt like my brain was rattling inside my head. It was the first time he had ever hit me. First time anyone had really ever hit me. I never even had a fight in school."

"What did you do after he hit you?"

"I walked out." He tilted his head back, wishing he didn't have to relive the whole thing in his head once again. "We were in his apartment building, so I had to take the stairs all the way out. He caught me on the second floor. He grabbed my arms, shoved me against the wall and tried to dismiss it just an accident. He was begging me not to leave him. In the end it was me comforting him. He swore he would never do it again. But he just seemed to get worse."

"Worse how? Did he hit you more?"

"Not for a while." Greg shook his head. "I feel like an idiot now for staying with him. He'd always accuse me of looking at other people or not paying attention to his needs. He tried to prevent me from speaking to my family, going out with my friends. Davey and I fell out. I haven't spoken to him since. If I wanted to go out, Stuart had to be free to come with me and he'd just sit there and do nothing the whole night. My Mom calls me religiously every day and he hated that. He used to hide my phone or take the battery out and hide that so I couldn't talk to her. He'd check to make sure I was really where I said I was going to be. Receipts were the most annoying. If I went out to lunch or bought petrol or something. He wanted to see every single receipt and ask why I spent that much, if I really needed it and who I saw while I was there."

"So he never hurt you physically after that first time?" Ms Langley glanced up between taking her notes, noticing Greg pursing his lips together.

"He didn't hurt me physically again for a few months after the first time. It was Davey's birthday and he requested that I didn't bring him with me because he always lost his temper or got annoyed over something stupid. So I lied and said I was going to my Mom's. She wasn't going to be home, so I thought even if he tried to check, he'd just think that we were busy doing something. But my Nana Olaf had a migraine, so they came home early. They answered the phone to Stuart and told him they hadn't seen me all day. I didn't know until I got home. As soon as I opened the door, he hit me with the phone straight in the face." Greg clasped his hands together tightly in his lap, trying to keep them from shaking as he relived that moment. "He must have hit me about... ten to fifteen times. He was so angry that I lied to him."

"And you think that was your fault?"

"I lied to him. He wouldn't have got like that if I had just told him where I really was." He breathed in a deep breath, placing his hands at his sides again. "He always said that it was my fault that he got like that. I was afraid to leave him after a while. My friends didn't understand why I would stay with him after they saw me the next day. He didn't want me to speak to them. If I even tried to call or contact them, he'd try to cave my head in with the nearest object. He hit me with this glass ash tray once. He locked me in the bedroom when I said I wanted to leave. He didn't care to check on me until I didn't answer him. I still can't believe he actually called an ambulance for me. I had a bleed between my skull and my brain. They had to operate as soon as I got to hospital to release the pressure. When I woke up my Mom was beside me, telling me I should be more careful on the stairs. He had already spun them a lie of what happened, so I couldn't even say anything."

"You didn't tell her?"

"I couldn't. She would have probably been more mad at me then she ever would have been with him." He shook his head. "I managed to leave him after I got out of hospital. He hassled me with phone calls, showed up at my job, asking my family to pass on messages. I got a job offer here in Las Vegas and saw it as my way out. He didn't find out where I was until two years ago, when he found me and wanted to get back together. He promised, swore on his life that he'd never hurt me again. And I stupidly believed him and took him back. He kept his word for a while. He was still completely paranoid and suspicious of everything I did, but he didn't really hurt me again. Not until I found him in bed with another man anyway. He leapt out of bed so fast, I retreated back into the corner of the room, completely unable to move. He had the nerve to beat me up and tell me it was my fault that happened. If it wasn't for the man he had been in bed with being in the room. I think he would have killed me right there and then."

The younger man smiled slightly, letting out a breath of relief now that he had finally told someone the whole truth for the first time.

"I've never told anyone all of that before."

"You haven't told your current partner?" She gave him a curious look.

Greg shook his head, realising her every answer came out as a question rather than an observation or a way to help him. "Would you want your current boyfriend to know that you took that kind of abuse from someone because you were scared of being alone? My Mom caught this documentary once on survivors of abuse and she was going on and on about how it was the abused one's fault for not leaving in the first place or seeing that their partner was a psycho in the beginning. I couldn't tell her that I had been through it with Stuart."

"Did you feel ashamed?" The woman jotted some notes down, glancing up at him to look at his response. "It's a natural response to hide something like this, Greg, especially from close loved ones. A lot of victims of abuse don't speak out because they feel ashamed of it. People on the outside of the abuse quite often say why couldn't you just leave. They can't see or feel what you're feeling on the inside to know how they would react in that situation. We all want to believe in the best of our partner, so we can deny that there's a problem, hope that we can sort it out, feel guilty that we did something to cause it or fear what would happen if we did end the relationship. Shame is just another natural response."

Greg wiped his hand across his cheek, preventing a tear from spilling. He gave her a nod, wishing he had heard that explanation sooner as it would have sorted out a lot of problems inside his head. "It's never been like that with Nick though. I don't have a lot of relationships under my belt to compare it to, but Nick seems to love me no matter what I do. He doesn't care who I text. What I spend my money on. He really cares about me. Stuart never made me feel the way Nick does. And now all I feel is guilty that Stuart ended up... dead to finally leave me alone."

"That's the abuse talking. The hold he had over you is still there. Quite often abusers make their victims take the blame. They shift their blame onto their victim, making you take responsibility for their actions. Right now you're feeling like you provoked this, so you deserved it. It can be very hard to realise that they alone are responsible for their actions. But he is responsible for what he did to you, not you."

"Wow." Greg gave out a breath he didn't realise he was holding in, glad he decided to stick around as she seemed to know what she was talking about. "How do I get rid of the hold he had over me?" He queried, thinking it couldn't just be that easy.

"It'll take time, but acknowledging that there is a problem is the first step. He's no longer with us so I don't need to suggest getting you to a safe place." She pushed herself to her feet, searching through her desk drawers for a moment, before she handed him a flyer. "But I can offer you continued one on one counselling, group therapy of people who have gone through the same sort of relationship or trauma as you have for support. Educating yourself on domestic abuse will help you to understand that his actions were not your fault. Coming here today was the right thing to do, Greg. This new man in your life must really care for you if he suggested something like this."

"Yeah." He smiled slightly, taking the leaflet from her hand. He brushed his thumb across the cover, looking at the half faced woman with her finger to her lips. He realised he had felt like that with Stuart for a long time and it actually felt good to tell someone the full story. "I never told Nick any of this."

"It's your choice if and when you tell him." She assured him. "In my opinion, I find a relationship works best with complete honesty. You can tell him when you're ready to. You can tell your parents when you feel it's the right time. You don't have to tell any of them if you don't want to. I'm just here to help you recover and in a lot of cases make you feel more human again by building your self esteem. You've already managed to start a healthy relationship with someone new. But we both need to make sure that you're not rushing into anything and you don't fall into old habits. And that you're safe."

"Nick would never hurt me." He immediately jumped in to defend the new man in his life. "What I feel for him is completely different to what Stuart and I had. I didn't really know Stuart before I dated him, but I've worked alongside Nick for six years now. I know him and I trust him completely. I don't feel trapped with him. If anything, I think it kinda helped that he didn't have a lot of confidence when we first started dating. That probably sounds really horrible, but him being less confident helped me to build my confidence."

"Exactly what you needed at the time?" The woman smiled, turning her wrist to look at the time on her watch. "I'm glad that you found someone after what you went through, Greg. I just want you to make sure that you're ready for a big commitment after what you went through. I would like to see you again. Is the same time next week alright? I'd like you to consider the group meetings too. You're allowed to bring a friend or partner along as support, but only if you're ready to tell them."

"Okay." Greg struggled to stand up, feeling a little weak in the knees after he let everything out. He wiped his hands across his cheeks, taking a peek at her notes as she signed off on their session together. "You don't have to report to anyone that I told you any of that, right?"

"No, this session is completely just between you and me. I won't tell anyone what you told me here today. My notes are just to refresh my memory for our next session. No one else but me will be able to read them." Ms Langley gave him a smile, picking up the leaflet he had dropped. "Please consider this. It can really help to be around people who have been through the same trauma as you have."

"I will." Greg folded it up, stuffing into his back pocket. "Thank you." He gave her a slight smile, turning for the door behind him. He received a smile from the receptionist on his way out, feeling as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders as he made his way out of the building to Nick's truck outside.

Nick leant across the car as he got closer, popping the passenger side door open for him. "So was I right? It wasn't a complete waste of time."

"You know it's ironic that you can convince me to see a shrink, but you never wanted to speak to one after everything that you went through. You only do it when it's mandatory for your job." He smiled at the older man, reaching his arms out to him. He held the man close against his chest, breathing in his familiar comforting scent. He felt tears burning his eyelids as he held onto him, finding that he couldn't let him go.

"Hey, it's okay, G." The Texan's voice rasped against his neck. He held onto him for a few minutes, before his back started to ache from the awkward position. He pulled back slightly, pressing a kiss to his boyfriend's tears. "C'mon gorgeous, let's go home."

"You're forgetting that we don't have one at the moment." He pointed out to him, buckling himself into the passenger seat. He smiled as Nick presented him with a baby wipe for his tears, deciding not to ask about his private session as he started the car to drive them home. He felt exhausted once they arrived back at Bobby's place. He left Nick to feed Sadie her lunch, while he climbed into bed in the other room. He closed his eyes, but he couldn't sleep after stirring up all his old memories.

After an hour or so of reliving his past in his head, Greg felt the bed shift beside him. He rolled over onto his back, smiling at the adorable man beside him.

"Hey baby, I thought you were sleepin'." Nick put his arm around him, pressing his lips to the side of the younger man's head. He snuggled close against him, watching his chest rising and falling as he breathed in and out. "Can I make you somethin' to eat?"

"No, I'm good." He tilted his head back, smiling as he looked into his partner's eyes. "I love you, Nick. You know that, don't you?"

"I know. I love you too." Nick placed his hand on the younger man's stomach, leaning closer to seal their lips together. He gently brushed his fingers through his partner's hair, studying the look in his eyes. "I'm not gonna ask what you talked about with the shrink. But I wonna know if you talked to her, about what was botherin' you."

"I did." Greg reached his hand out from under the covers, placing it over Nick's on his stomach. "I trust you with my life, Nicky. So there's some stuff I need to tell you, about my past. The truth about what happened with Stuart." He began, holding Nick's hand tightly as he started from the beginning. He couldn't look him in the eyes at first, fearing the look the older man might be giving him as he reached the point in his past where Stuart first hit him.

Instead of asking why he would let someone do that to him or ask why he lied to him in the first place, Nick lay beside him quietly, listening to the whole thing. He rested his head against Greg's shoulder after a while, clenching his teeth into his bottom lip as he thought about the pain or the fear that the younger man had to go through alone, wondering why he never noticed the signs. He was supposed to observe the environment around him for hints or clues, but he didn't even notice the signs with his own boyfriend.

"Deep down, I always had this feeling inside that he would kill me before he ever let me go. He used to make me feel as though I didn't exist unless he let me. I couldn't feel anything unless he wanted me to. I never felt safe with him, but I felt safer being with him rather than trying to leave him." Greg admitted to him, sweeping his fingers through Nick's soft hair. He breathed in a deep breath, relieved he decided to tell him as he hated the thought of anything coming between them. "That probably sounds complete idiotic. But it's how he made me feel. Do you feel differently about me now?"

"Why would I?" Nick lifted his head, looking into his eyes. "You're still the same Greg to me."

"Even though I let..."

"It wasn't your fault." He interrupted him, brushing his thumb across the younger man's cheek. "You didn't do anythin' to deserve bein' treated like that. For as long as I shall live, I will make sure you're treated like a prince. I'll make sure no one ever hurts you again."

"You don't have to do that."

"Yeah I do, because that's what you do when you really love someone." Nick sealed their lips together for a brief kiss, gently combing his fingers through his partner's hair. "And I love you more than anythin' in the world."

* * *

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **~ Holly**


	7. Chapter 7 - On My Own

**Chapter Seven - On my Own**

"So, what's your recommendation?"

The man clasped his hands together, looking at his brother in law in front of him. "Your friend's insurance company have rejected the claim to cover for the pregnancy, because they believe that the information he submitted to them when he took out the policy was incorrect. You just have to be able to prove that you didn't know about it before. Your sister, Vicki and I went through the same thing after Ella was diagnosed with epilepsy. My insurance company wouldn't cover her because they claimed it was a pre-existing condition that we never informed them about. We told them the second we got the diagnoses, but we had to dip our hands into our pockets for all her treatment in the beginning."

"I can't believe they won't cover him." Vicki returned from the kitchen, setting a plate of sandwiches each in front of her husband and younger brother. "Practically every insurance company covers pregnancy nowadays." She took her seat beside them, looking over the policy herself.

When her brother first called her about some advice on his friend Greg's insurance, she wasn't expecting him to actually travel all the way out to Texas to see them in person. She didn't know anyone who would go this far out of their way for a friend, making her realise that the rumours Gwen had been spreading about their little brother were in fact true. She didn't want to embarrass her brother by saying anything about it, but she was a little curious about the type of man he was into, especially after years of wondering if he really was gay or not.

"You could tell your friend to get the doctor that diagnosed him to write them a letter." Vicki's husband, Michael suggested, picking up his first sandwich. "It took us a while to find an insurance company that would cover, Ella. We had to fill out all sorts of forms over how many seizures she had experienced, along with copies of doctors notes. It took ages, but we've got her covered now on our policy and she's been seizure free for nearly three years."

"Touch wood." Vicki quickly tapped her knuckles against the wooden table, glancing at her husband over the letter. She was a very superstitious person, not wanting any more bad luck to rain down on their family. "You could try to appeal the rejected claim. Or Greg could any way." She kept up the charade for her brother's sake. "Does he have the original insurance documents? You can... he can check the paperwork to see exactly what the insurance does and doesn't cover. Sometimes men's policies will cover a pregnant wife, so you could appeal it since they stated that they did cover it."

"I'll have to ask him." Nick picked up his sandwich from in front of him, giving his sister a curious look. He sensed that she knew something, but he had only told Gwen about his relationship situation. She had never done anything to intentionally hurt him, but then again, she did invite his parents to his one year olds birthday without telling him. "How old is Ella now?" He queried, trying to recall the last time he saw her.

"Eleven." Michael answered before his wife could.

"She's just started ballet." Vicki proudly stated. "Last year it was standing in the cold rain for muddy soccer matches with loud mouthed fathers. This year it's gossiping in a warm hall with other Moms, tutus and ballerina buns. Michael thought for sure she was going to start baseball this year, but she's finally Mommy's little girl. You've got all this to look forward to with your little girl." She grinned widely at her brother. "Why didn't you bring her with you? I'm sure Mama would have loved to see her."

"Oh I... I'm only here for the weekend," Nick tried to think up an excuse, knowing she was safe and sound with the Sanders family this weekend. He knew his sister probably wouldn't approve of her being left with his boyfriend's family, but he trusted them a lot more than his own family at the moment. "I thought she should stay somewhere that's more familiar to her. Plus I've never exactly flown with a baby before. I never flew until I was fourteen and I was terrified."

"Michael's never flown." Vicki let it slip, giving her husband a reassuring smile. "He's afraid to. He'd rather hit the road for hours on end than fly. He gets queasy dropping me off at the airport. He won't even let the kids fly. Vacations have to be planned within a reasonable driving distance so the kids don't drive us mad."

"It makes me nervous." The man defended himself, finishing off his last bite. "How far along is your friend, Greg?"

"Uh... sixteen weeks," Nick spoke softly, catching a look from his sister again. "How old is Adele now?" He quickly changed the subject to their first born, trying to remember when she was born.

"Seventeen, can you believe it?" Vicki reached for a photo from behind her, holding it up to Nick. "I keep waiting for her to turn into a right little madam like I was at that age, but she's the complete opposite. She's more like him." She motioned towards her husband. "Shy, polite, quiet, reserved, she studies hard, practices the piano at all hours. She's a little bit like you when you were young." She smiled at her brother. "I thought we'd have teenage pregnancy or rebellion to deal with, but she's been an angel. Touch wood." She tapped her knuckles against the table again. "You got any pictures of Sadie?"

"In my bag." Nick finished off his sandwich, pushing himself to his feet to fetch it from by the door. He pulled out the envelopes of photos he had sorted, remembering the guilt he felt the night before as he took out all the pictures that had Greg or Greg's parents in the background. He ended up with just a handful of pictures with just his daughter in the photo, starting from her time in the hospital to the start of what was supposed to be her first birthday celebration. "Wash your hands first." He warned his sister, setting the envelope on the table.

Vicki gave out a sigh, pushing herself to her feet. "You're still a control freak. Adele's a little bit like that. I swear you two were cut from the same cloth." She smiled at him, collecting up their finished plates to take them through the kitchen. She thoroughly washed her hands, returning to the table to see the pictures of her youngest niece for the first time. "Aww, she really was tiny." She held up the picture to her husband in front of her, getting a smile out of him. "How much did she weigh?"

"One pound."

"Her arms barely as big as my little finger." She turned another picture round to show her husband. "She's a little stunner isn't she? Just like her Daddy. Is she a little trouble maker? I haven't had a toddler in nine years, but I always found the girls easier to deal with than the boys at that age."

"She's crawlin', so she gets into just about everythin', but she's startin' to sleep through the night a little more. Not as long as I would like, but more than she used to. We haven't had too much trouble with teethin'. She gets a little cranky sometimes, but we haven't really had any of the terrible toddler behaviour everyone keeps warnin' me about. Yet anyway."

Vicki gave her brother a smile, deciding not to ask about the 'we' since he was supposedly a single parent. "She's adorable. Do you think she's going to be into soccer or ballet?"

"I don't know. She tried to walk the first day she started crawlin'. She can stand, she just hasn't mastered walkin' yet. The doc was worried about her bein' able to crawl or walk at first. They thought she could have lastin' brain damage from her premature birth, but there hasn't been any signs of any damage yet. He still thinks we need to look out for any mental disablities. But she's already sayin' quite a few words." Nick rested against his elbow on the table, watching her slowly flipping through the photos. He started to miss his daughter even more, realising it was the first time he had really been away from her. He knew she was safe with Greg and his family, but he couldn't help but wonder if she had noticed that he wasn't there to take care of her. "I'll be back in a minute." He pulled his cell out of his pocket, making his way outside to his sister's driveway. He hit the speed dial for Greg's phone, standing in the shade of the trees while he waited for the call to go through.

"Hold on one second, don't you move, okay." Greg crawled away from the baby, grabbing his cell, before he made his way back towards her. "Hey, Tex. We're on diaper duty here." He answered the phone, holding it against his shoulder, while he finished changing, Sadie's diaper.

"You change diapers now? You sure your Mom isn't doin' it?" Nick smirked, trying to remember the last time Greg actually changed one.

"Nope, it's all me. I clean up sick, mop up drool and change diapers now. My favourite part is nap time though and lunch time, we had cheese, pineapple and crackers. Didn't we?" He playfully tickled the little girl, getting a giggle out of her.

"Mmm, that sounds nice. What did Papa Greg have?"

"My Mom and I made mini pizzas, Hawaiian style." Greg sealed the diaper tags around the baby's waist, just in time as she rolled over and started crawling away. "I had three of them. I've finally got my appetite back after that bout of morning sickness the other day. Please tell me that this part lasts for the rest of it. I don't want to deal with that morning sickness business ever again."

"I hope so. The doc said you've gotta put on some weight for this baby. Did the realtor call back yet?"

"Oh yeah." Crawling towards the sofa, Greg grabbed his notepad, flipping through the pages until he found the details. "When you get back on Monday, we're going to meet her at ten am. She's got four houses in our price range to look at, along with a few others that are slightly over, but still affordable. We'll just be skipping a few meals every now and then." He teased. "The first one is a single floored town house sorta thing with three bedrooms, one and a half bath, joint kitchen and dining room with a conservatory and big front room. There's no office space though. And she said the gardens all out the front which you didn't want."

"Three bedrooms?" Nick double checked, "I thought we were lookin' into four? One for me and you, one for each of the baby's and a spare room for your folks."

"That's just the first one." The younger man smiled, flipping over the page. "The second one has four bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms... how do you get a half bathroom anyway?" He had a sudden thought. "Do you get half a dining room or half a kitchen?"

The older man chuckled softly, shaking his head as he leant back against the tree behind him. "It means that it only contains half the bathroom. Like a toilet and sink. How big is the second house?"

"She didn't say, but it has two floors. Separate kitchen and dining area, with a utility room. Hey, Sadie..." Greg crawled after her, stopping her from routing through Nana Olaf's bag. "Not in there, little monkey. Oh and a walk in closet for the master bedroom." He added, directing the baby in another direction. "And a big garden. It's in a cul-de-sac too, which she said is a really good thing."

"It sounds nice." Nick overheard his daughter's adorable babbling, wishing he was there to see them both. "Did you call your apartment manager?"

"Yep, I have to be out by the end of the month, so we have... two weeks." He calculated it off the top of his head, letting Sadie take the note pad off his hands. She examined the sheet of paper, before she grasped hold of the top sheet in her hands, crinkling up his notes. "In two weeks time, we'll both be homeless."

"We'll find somewhere." His partner assured him, glancing back at the house as he caught his sister staring at him. "I may have a solution to sort out your insurance. So we won't be bankrupt before the baby is even born."

"Thank you. Oh my Nana had a thought about that. She said the cheapest place in the world to have a baby at the moment is Spain, especially for a c-section. So we'll just have to move to Spain to have the baby."

Nick chuckled softly, "I don't want to move to Spain just so you can give birth cheaply. If we get your insurance sorted, you can have it here... or Vegas anyway. My sister said it can cost from twenty to thirty thousand if we don't have insurance and that's without complications."

"Maybe we should reconsider the house thing. We can live with my folks and the baby's can sleep in the drawers. Plus, free child care." He cringed as Sadie ripped his sheet of paper in half, looking quite pleased with herself as she waved around the shreds of paper in front of him. "We can home school them too. It's not just for weird religious types anymore."

"We'll be okay." Nick assured him again, tilting his head back to look at the sky. He always used to lay in the back fields of the ranch on a hot summers day, watching the clouds float over his head as he dreamed of his future. He never even considered all the roadblocks on the way, but he was determined to keep going. "Great job I'm doin'. I have a one year old, a sixteen week pregnant boyfriend, no home, no job. I'm not exactly the great provider a father's supposed to be, am I?"

"You're doing the best you can. And we still love you, don't we?" He playfully ruffled his hand across Sadie's head, taking the paper off her before she tried to stuff it in her mouth. "We're not homeless... yet, and you always have a job available at the lab. We still have plenty of time to prepare for the new baby, so there's no reason for you to worry."

"We're approachin' the halfway point, G. Sadie was born less than twelve weeks after this point."

"My doctor says that baby is happy and healthy in here. I'm taking it easy, doing everything I'm supposed to, so we have time." Greg assured the man, letting the baby in front of him examine his fingers. "You know we could have really used a stroller today in town." He tried to change the subject to put the older man's mind at ease. "Sadie fell asleep against my Dad, leaving Mom, Nana and me to carry all the shopping. A stroller really would have come in handy."

"We'll buy a double one before the baby comes then. Strollers are expensive you know, we're about to have a baby." Nick smiled into his phone. "You could have taken that kangaroo carry thing out with you. You can just strap her to your chest then."

"She's too big for it now. I told you that the other week. Kids growing like a weed." He playfully tickled the baby in front of him, erupting a giggle from her. "So, what's the plan? When are you coming home?"

"I'm gonna stop by and see my folks this afternoon. I thought it would be a good idea, but now that I'm here, I really don't wonna do it."

"Come home and be with me then," Greg smiled into the phone, watching Sadie using his leg to push herself to her feet. "You said it yourself, you need to do this. Not just because they need to know, but because you need to get this out. Gwen may have already told them. You can't live the double life anymore. Our relationship always comes up one way or another and you can't expect Sadie to lie for you. They're not talking to you at the moment anyway, so you have nothing to lose."

"Except maybe my sanity." He spoke softly, anxiously scratching his wrist as he thought back to the last time his father found out.

"He can't do anything to you, Nicky. You're a grown man and he wouldn't with your mother there. I'll call you at the top of every hour to make sure you're not in custody. If you don't pick up, I'll assemble the troops. Besides, your father wouldn't risk it anyway." He got back to his point. "Having a son in a psyche ward wouldn't be good for his campaign."

"I'm sure he thinks havin' a gay son would be better." He sarcastically remarked, waving to his sister as she continued to stare. "I'm gonna tell the others first. I think Vicki already knows. I doubt my brother or my sisters, Lily and Ronnie will be that acceptin'. My brother used to beat up kids back in school, tossin' the F word around if they couldn't fight back."

"Now I'm really glad I'm an only child."

Nick chuckled softly, pushing himself to his feet off the tree. "I'm glad Sadie's not goin' to be an only child though. She'll never be lonely with her little brother or sister around."

"I was never lonely." Greg spoke softly, catching Sadie before she fell back against the floor. "I had Papa and Nana Olaf growing up. And my mother. She could barely leave me alone for five minutes. But I'm glad too." He placed his hand on his stomach, wishing Nick was closer. He felt a little lonely now without him nearer, but it gave him a chance to bond with Sadie a little more and practice for the baby he was still terrified about carrying inside of him. "You'll be okay, Nicky. If you're that worried about what he'll do, meet somewhere public or take Vicki with you. Just be safe, okay? We need you."

"I know. I'll be careful. I'll call you tonight." Nick turned away from the house. "I love you, Greg. Take good care of our babies."

"Always." Greg pressed a kiss to Sadie's forehead, moving the phone to her ear. "Do you want to say hi to Daddy? Say hi Daddy." He tried to encourage her, but she remained silent with the phone against her head. "It's Dada. You can't be shy for Daddy."

"Hi, baby girl." Nick spoke softly, smiling as he listened to Greg trying to encourage her to speak. He heard the faintest gurgles after a moment, making him miss them even more. "Be a good girl for Papa. I'll see you in a few days. Bye, Greg. I'll call you later."

"Bye, I love you." Greg quickly sneaked it in, handing the phone over to Sadie once he had hung up. "Shall we go find Granddad? He must have finished his phone calls by now." He scooped her up into his arms, taking her down the hall to his father's office. He gave the door a light knock, before he stepped inside. "Hi, Granddad. Are you busy?"

"No, I was just finishing up." Daniel spun his office chair round with a squeak, smiling at his son as he saw the baby in his arms, resting her little head against his chest. She waved her little hand towards him, before she returned her fingers to her mouth. "What's up?" He motioned towards the sofa, letting his son take a seat. "Is Nick okay? I heard you talking to him."

"Yeah," Greg smiled at the man, sitting Sadie against him on the sofa. "He's okay. He's regretting going there now, but it's the right thing to do. I couldn't imagine hiding something like this from you and Mom. I guess I'm starting to realise how grateful I am to have you guys as my parents and not people like Nick's parents."

"His parents just need to understand that it's a part of who he is. It doesn't define him." Daniel spoke from experience, smiling at his son in front of him. "I admit that I took a while to come around to the idea of you wanting to be with a man, rather than the... what I thought was normal. But you're happy and that's all that is important to me. You are happy, aren't you?" He double checked, getting a wide grin out of his son as he hugged Sadie tightly.

"I'm happy. I love Nick. I'm not loving this putting on weight part or the morning sickness, but I want to be with him for the rest of my life. He's not just a part timer. I never believed in all that soul mate stuff before, but he's the one."

Daniel burst into an explosive grin, relieved his son finally knew what that felt like. "And you're happy to have his baby?"

"Yeah." Greg gently brushed his hand across Sadie's forehead, looking up at his father in front of him. "It's not exactly what I had in mind. Or ideal for this point in my relationship or career, but it doesn't completely suck. Being pregnant is the last thing I felt like I would ever want. But if you think about it, it's the one thing that I could never have being a gay man and all. But Nick made it possible. How did you manage, when I was born? I wasn't planned was I?"

"No, your Mom was eighteen when she was pregnant with you. I was still in college. Papa Olaf had to support us in the beginning and he never let us forget it either. Me anyway. He adored you and your mother. I think we lived under his thumb until you were nearly four, before we could afford an apartment of our own. It felt good to finally have that security of living on our own terms. Your Mom wanted to work to help support the three of us, but I wanted her to be with you, so I put in the extra hours to make that possible. Which is why I was never really there when you were little."

"You always made up for it." Greg gave his father a reassuring smile. "I always knew I had a father who loved me. And I had the weekends with you. I always looked forward to our weekends together. Hooking bait, setting sails or our tours around sea world."

"That one was a mistake." Daniel remembered the nightmares his son had about the sea creatures attacking him in his sleep. "What brought this on?" He queried, watching Sadie carefully examining his son's fingers.

He shrugged his shoulders, looking down at Sadie in his arms. "I was just wondering what it was like for you. I want this baby, but I'm terrified that I'm not going to be able to handle it, especially because Nick wants me to take some time off after the baby is born." He knew he could talk openly in front of his father as the man wouldn't judge him or yell at him to do something else like his mother. "I don't know if I would be able to handle two baby's at once. One's hard enough." He playfully tickled Sadie in his hands. "I guess this is the one part of our relationship that I'm worried about."

"I think it's natural to worry about something like that. Your Mom wanted four kids from the time I met her. But she was still terrified about carrying you. I loved your mother, but I was considering listening to my father and leaving her with you to deal with on her own because I didn't feel ready to have a kid of my own. Only for a moment." He quickly assured his son. "I think by the first scan I had fallen completely in love with you. I wanted to do anything I could to protect and provide for you after that. You were my child, my flesh and blood and I loved you more than I thought possible. I still love you now, but I don't feel as though you need as much protection as you did then. I'll still always be here for you, but I want you to have your own family and find that same happiness that your Mom and I have had all this time."

"That's kinda like what Nick is doing. He wants to sort everything by himself."

"You don't want him to?"

Greg shrugged his shoulders together, adjusting Sadie in his arms. "I've never had someone who wanted to do everything for me before. You know, before he came along I was an independent single man, able to deal with pretty much anything thanks to you and Mom. But Nick just wants to take over everything. He's arranging doctor's appointments. He's in Texas sorting out my insurance situation. He wants me to stop working once we get a house sorted so I can stay home with Sadie and the bump. And a part of me kinda likes that he wants to do all that for me. I feel like I can't function without him anymore."

"I think that's where the phrase my other half comes from." Daniel smiled softly, wheeling his chair a little closer to his son. "When I met your mother, I felt like she was the other half of me that I had been missing and I haven't been able to live without her since. In Nick's situation, I did pretty much the same thing. I wanted to take care of everything and protect my family. It's the protective father instinct kicking in. A fathers role is to protect the family. He's just doing what any man in his situation would do. Protecting and caring for his family."

"Are you saying I'm not a real man because I don't feel like that?"

His father shook his head, gently patting his knee. "You're not a father yet. You said it yourself, you were glad that Sadie wasn't yours because you didn't want to be responsible for her. If you think like that, then you obviously don't feel like a father yet. But you will. It may be tomorrow, it might be when you have your own baby. But you will feel it." He smiled at the two of them together. "Let Nick protect the family, it's something that he needs to do. You can be there to protect him."

"Did you ever think you'd be giving me advice about men when I was little?"

"No." The man smiled, leaning back in his seat. "When you were little, I couldn't even imagine you as a grown up. I was terrified I'd get it all wrong, but I think you turned out alright. Do you really love him?" He curiously asked his son, never imagining he would have been asking his son that question before today.

"Yeah." Greg smiled widely as he thought about him. "More than I ever thought possible." He nodded, circling his arms around Sadie on his lap. "I love her too. She's a part of him. It's not that I don't want to be her father. I just don't feel like I am, because she has Nick to make all the responsible decisions for her. I can just be there for the hugs."

"He could use your help there too. It's not easy doing it alone. Ask your Mom."

"He's not alone." He shook his head. "Not really. And I help. He's been living with his sister for the past few months, but I tried."

"You're not helping if you take a back seat when he's around. Are you expecting him to take on the burden of baby number two?" Daniel asked, getting a slight shrug out of his son. "You're in this together. He wants to take care of you and his children, but you need to take care of him. It's the number one rule of marriage. There's no one side to anything anymore."

"We're not married."

"It'll be good practice then," Daniel leant forwards, pressing a kiss to the top of his son's head. "I love you, kiddo." He playfully ruffled his hand through his hair, before he lifted the baby from his arms. "You should get some sleep. I can watch Sadie for a few hours. Your Mom should be back soon anyway."

"Okay." He found that he couldn't sleep during the day without Nick at his side anymore, but he thought he'd try while Sadie was with his father. He only hoped that things were going as well in Texas with Nick's parents.

"When's her birthday?" Nick's mother, Jillian adjusted the hat on her head to shield her eyes from the sun. She didn't feel like sitting and chatting with her son after the disappointment of the baby's birthday party the other week, so she decided to continue her chores in the garden, while he stood on the side lines. "I know you said March, but what day?"

"Second." He anxiously stuffed his hands into his pockets, watching her returning to her gardening. He had felt the icy cold shoulder from her since he arrived, but he was used to that. Whenever they did something wrong as a child, their father would discipline them, while their mother would just give them the cold shoulder. "Gwen told me you came to the party, Mama."

"Oh... is that what we went there for?" The woman glanced back at him. "It didn't seem like much of a party without the birthday girl there. Or her father. Did you have something more important to do?"

"Yeah... I was tryin' to save a friend of mine."

"Really? Because Gwen told us that you were at the police station in handcuffs."

"Yeah, I was... for a while." Nick confessed, leaning on the fence post in front of him. "My best friend, Greg was attacked in his apartment. I found the scene and the lead CSI suspected that I had somethin' to do with it, despite all the evidence, so he took me into the station. I didn't." He assured her, seeing the look on her face. "I would never hurt him. It was his psycho ex-boyfriend."

"Well there you go then, he probably deserved it. They all get what they deserve in the end."

Nick rolled his eyes, remembering why he had never bothered to tell her before. "I love him." He blurted it out, taking a step back from the fence. "I would never hurt, Greg because I love him. He's not just my best friend. He's my boyfriend. Do I deserve it too, Mama?" He asked her, noticing she had stopped what she was doing, but she was refusing to look up at him. "I've been gay ever since I can remember. I remember havin' to listen to you and Dad talk about gay men like they didn't deserve to live. Like they were somethin' horrible that should be put to death. Well your own son is gay and I don't care what you think of me. I'm in love with my best friend and we're startin' a family together, whether you like it or not."

After blurting it all out, he turned on his heels, making his way back to his car as the tears started to burn in his eyes. He imagined his mother chasing after him to tell him it was alright, but he made it all the way to his truck, spotting her still at work in the garden as though nothing had happened.

He leant back against the side of his rental car, feeling the familiar tingles of a panic attack racing through his arms. He tried to picture Greg and his soothing words, but without the actual man beside him, he found it impossible to concentrate on controlling his breathing.

"Hi, Uncle Nick." A small voice called out to him. He glanced up, watching the bike they were riding skid to a halt in front of him, noticing something familiar in her eyes.

"Hi..." He spoke softly, trying to remember her name. Narrowing her down as one of nieces wasn't a short enough list, so he tried to study her features to see which of his siblings she looked most like. She reminded him a lot of his sister, Kayla, but he couldn't remember how old her daughter even was.

The girl smiled at him, motioning to the car over her shoulder. "Daddy said I could ride my bike around the ranch."

"Nicky. Hey, little brother." His older brother appeared beside him, clapping his hand over his shoulder. "Mama said you were in town. I bought the little nipper." He motioned towards his daughter. "You remember, Abigail? You haven't seen her in five years or so. After six boys we finally had our daughter?" He jogged his memory. "She's nine already. How old is your daughter?"

"Uh... she just turned one." Nick placed his hand over his racing heart, trying to hide the fact that he was struggling to breathe.

"Congrats, little brother. Finally taken the plunge." The older man smirked. "You're not leavin' already are you? Did you bring the baby?"

"No... she's at home. I was just goin' back to Vicki's..."

"No, c'mon stay a little longer." He interrupted him. "I just got here. Where's Mama?"

"Garden." Nick pointed in the direction of the garden, watching his brother taking off, leaving Abbey behind. She circled his truck on her bike a few times, before she stopped to pick out the stones from her front tire. He had always imagined bringing his own children back to the ranch one day, but he knew it wasn't a possibility now. He would never be able to bring Greg back here and his parents would do everything they could to make his children feel bad about having him as a father. He could never come back here with any of his family and feel the love that his own siblings felt when they brought their children back to their childhood home.

"Is it true?" His brother appeared in front of him less than a minute later. He looked angry and disappointed, but he wasn't beating him to a bloody pulp like he expected. He didn't seem that surprised by what his mother had just told him either. "Why'd you have to tell her? She was better off not knowin' any of this."

"What?" Nick leant further back against his car, pulling away from his brother.

"Abs, go find granddad." Billy ordered his daughter.

"But I want to ride my bike."

"Abbey, now!" The man shouted this time, watching her reluctantly setting her bike down, before she hurried into the house to find her grandfather. Billy turned to look at his brother, folding his arms across his chest as the disappointment on his face turned to a frown. "Why'd you have to go and tell her?"

"Wait a minute, you knew?" Nick frowned back at his brother. "How?"

"You lost your virginity to my best friend, Lucas. Of course I knew." The man shrugged his shoulders. "The son of bitch started braggin' about it when he got drunk at a party. He had way too much to drink and he started braggin' how he seduced you into his bed after one drink."

Nick felt a little heartbroken that his first boyfriend would do that to him, but he didn't blame him after what his father had done to him. "Did he tell you about Dad?"

"Yeah..." His brother nodded, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "He told me he wasn't seein' you anymore, then he showed up with a broken arm and his ribs bashed in. I wanted to bash his head in myself for lyin' about seein' you again."

"You knew?" Nick gave him a forceful shove away from him. "You've known all this time and you still let him do that to me? I was just a kid. I didn't deserve to be locked up like that by my own father. And you knew the whole time?"

"I didn't know where he sent you." Billy tried to defend himself, grabbing his brother's arms before he shoved him again. "You think I'd let him do that to you if I knew where you were? He wouldn't tell me. I tried to tell Mama and he damn near bashed my head in. Why do you think I asked you if you wanted to live with me when you finally came back? You're my little brother and I couldn't protect you."

"You knew..." His younger brother spoke softly, letting his arms fall to his sides. "You never told me. All this time I've been alone, but you knew all along."

"I... I wanted you to tell me in your own time. I wanted you to trust me enough to tell me, but you never have. I guess that says a lot about our relationship."

Dropping back to the car behind him, Nick gave his brother a slight smile as he thought about Greg. "I didn't even trust myself. After what... Dad did to me, I blocked it all out. I faked bein' normal for our parents so well that it kinda stuck. I haven't been with anyone since, Lucas. It wasn't until a few months ago that I even remembered any of it. My friend, Greg that I work with at the lab. When he kissed me he reminded me of who I really am."

"I can't imagine what it was like for you, but you could have trusted me. You could have told me about Lucas too. He took advantage of you. It's my job as your big brother to protect you."

"He didn't... take advantage." Nick shook his head. "It wasn't like that."

"You were seventeen. He was seven years older than you, that's takin' advantage. There are laws against it." He pointed out to him. "I'm a lawyer, it's pretty much my job to know that."

"It wasn't like that." He insisted, pushing himself to his feet off the car. "I consented to Lucas. I didn't consent to my father lockin' me up in a mental institution for bein' who I am. I wasn't just trapped there for the better part of a year. I've been trapped in a shell for the past sixteen years because of him. With Greg, I'm not scared anymore, so I don't care who knows. Mama can hate me and wish hell upon me all she likes, because I've already lived through my own hell. I'm finally free now."

"Free to tear apart the family?" Billy shoved him against the car this time. "Do you even care about how this could affect the rest of us or our kids? You don't have to live here with them."

"Why should I have to hide it? You don't have to hide who you love. You don't have to pretend or lie about your life. Your kids can come here whenever they like, call our father, Granddad. What do I have? Why should I have to hide my family just because it's not like yours?"

"You don't, but you don't have to go blabbin' it around either."

"When Dad dropped me off at that place, he said he waited so long to have another son, but he wished now that I had never been born. You have no idea how many times I wished that myself. I never want my children to feel that way. I never want them to feel ashamed of who they are or where they come from," Pushing his brother away from him, Nick glanced back at the ranch he grew up on, ready to leave it all behind. "If they can't accept me for who I am, then I don't need them. As far as I'm concerned, I don't have a Mom or a Dad anymore. And if you pick them over me, I don't have a brother either."

"Of course I'm not pickin' them over you. I just said that you didn't have to go and tell them. C'mon man, they're in their seventies. You couldn't wait for them to... you know, before you had your comin' out party?"

"How would you feel if you weren't allowed to be with the one you loved or have a family until your parents were dead?" Nick couldn't believe his own brother would suggest that. "I used to think that it could be that simple, but am I just supposed to be miserable and alone until that time finally comes?"

"Well done, Nicky." His brother sarcastically clapped his hands together. "You may have just torn apart this family because you wanted them to accept you. They never will and now we're all goin' to have to deal with the fallout. So thanks a lot."

* * *

 **Thank you for reading. Hope you enjoyed this next chapter. More on the way soon.**

 **~ Holly**


	8. Chapter 8 - Family Home

**Chapter Eight - Family Home**

"Picture a cream L shaped sofa against this wall. Or maybe a light brownish kinda colour to match the wall." Placing his hands on Greg's hips, Nick gently directed him around the room, motioning towards the large window. "Full length drapes against these windows. We could strip out the carpets and put in pine wood floors with a coffee table there. Maybe the TV against that wall and a book shelf. Cream walls. A few family pictures. Nothin' tacky."

"More cream?" Greg leant back in his partner's embrace, picturing the bright walls instead of the green ones that were currently in front of him. "Didn't you already say cream in the hallway and the stairs and possibly the dining room. That's a lot of cream for one house. Don't you like colours? I'm sure you had some at your old place."

"I said Alaska White for the stairs. And the paint for the dinin' room was called Cream in my Coffee. It's a really light brown colour." The Texan smirked, pressing a playful kiss to his boyfriend's cheek. "You don't like this house either do you, baby? I think our realtor is goin' to get sick of us if we don't make up our minds pretty quick."

"I like it." Greg pulled away from him, turning to look him in the eyes. "But it doesn't feel like..."

"Home." Nick guessed, circling his arms around him again. He couldn't keep his arms off him after the weekend from hell he had just been through, never wanting to let him go in case it all came crashing down around him too. "We can make it feel like home after we move in. You just have to try and picture our things in one of these houses. Picture you and me livin' together in one of these places with our kids. Can you see us livin' in any of them?"

"Maybe." He shrugged his shoulders, leaning closer to press his lips to Nick's. "These's houses... they just don't feel like us though. I think my heads just overloaded a little. We've been looking at houses for three days straight and you still haven't told me what happened in Texas. When you arrived at my folks house, I could tell you were trying to hide something from me, but I was going to let you tell me in your own time. But instead of telling me, you're just crowding my head with house after house after house after house. And after weeks of me having to share my every thought with a complete stranger... for you... you owe me some kind of explanation."

"I'm sorry." Nick slid his hands into Greg's, looking into his eyes. "But I can't tell you, because I don't wonna talk about it. Thinkin' about it hurts my head and talkin' about it now hurts my chest. I just want to live my life with you, without worryin' about what my parents think or carin' if my family will accept us or not. I want them out of my life and out of my head."

"Avoiding something won't make it go away."

"You even sound like a shrink now." The older man smirked, reaching his hand up to brush his thumb across Greg's cheek. "I'm not avoidin' it. I just don't want to deal with it right now. All I want is to take care of you, be in this moment with you and not think about anythin' else but you and our future at this moment in time. In order to do that, we need to find a house. We're homeless at the end of the next week." He reminded him, feeling more nervous about being homeless with a baby and a pregnant boyfriend, rather than the prospect of never speaking to his family again. "One problem at a time, G."

"My parents said we could live with them for as long as we need to. It's gonna be a four hour commute to get to work when we do, but we can stay with them for as long as we like."

"You really fancy spendin' your entire pregnancy under your parents thumb? In the care of your lovin', over protective mother?"

"What have you got against my parents all of a sudden?" Greg gave him a confused look.

"Nothin'... I just... I want it to be just us. You and me. I've lived by other peoples rules for so long. I want to live by my own with the man I love and no one tellin' me what I can and can't do." He pulled the younger man into his arms, hugging his warm body tightly against him. "I love you."

"I love you too." Greg hooked his arm around him, sensing whatever happened in Texas had put him in this mood. "But you don't need to exclude my parents from our lives just because of what happened with yours. My parents completely support us and they adore you as if you were their own son. You're in the Sanders family now whether you like it or not." He listened to him breathing softly for a few minutes, before he pulled back to look into his eyes. "I like this one. It's better than the others, but it only has three rooms." He reminded him, holding up three fingers to him. "Do you still want the guest bedroom for when family visits?"

Nick shrugged his shoulders, tilting his head back to look at the ceiling. "This place needs a lot of work. The stairs take up half the house and the landin' is a death trap for two babies. I liked that place in the cul-de-sac we looked at on Monday. But what would we need two front rooms for?"

"One as an office. One as the family room. Or maybe a play room." Greg suggested, giving his partner a smile. "I liked that one too, but it didn't have a garage. You said you wanted a garage this time."

"We should just start from scratch. Build our own place like your parents did."

"We couldn't afford that, even if my Dad gives us a good price." The younger man smiled, gently combing his fingers through Nick's hair. "Shall we ask to see the house again? Someone else could snap it up if we don't make a decision soon. It was nice and it did have a big driveway, so we wouldn't even need the garage. I could picture you topless mowing the lawn there. The tub was pretty big too."

"Mmm," Nick smiled against his lips. "I didn't think you wanted to come near me after I got you pregnant. You've been kinda distant since we found out. I thought I was losin' you."

"No. You're not losing me." Greg shook his head. "It's just been a lot to take in. Your body hasn't been hijacked by a baby or this whole pregnancy that I can't control. If I were your girlfriend, it would be expected to happen eventually, but I'm not. I'm a guy. Always have been and now I suddenly have to go through this whole pregnancy thing and I feel as though my body doesn't even belong to me anymore."

"It's only temporary, Greg. At the end of it, we'll have our baby."

"But I don't want to go through a pregnancy at all." Greg practically spelled it out to him. "I'm terrified of the end part. What if you were in my position? You had something done to you that's not supposed to happen and there's nothing you can do to stop it."

"I can understand that feelin'." Nick anxiously scratched his neck, making his way through to the hallway. He ran his fingers through his hair, perching himself on one of the steps on the staircase. This whole week had been an emotional rollercoaster for him so far and now he felt like the monster that had trapped, Greg.

"How?" The younger man appeared in front of him, waiting for him to look up, before he asked again. "How can you understand that feeling?"

"Because I had somethin' done to me when I was kid that I couldn't stop."

"Your father?" Greg folded his arms across his chest, leaning against the doorframe.

"No... somethin' else." He had promised himself that he would never have to tell anyone about what happened to him, but he trusted Greg with his life. After what Greg told him a few weeks ago, he felt like he owed it to him to tell him. "Sit down." Nick patted the step beside him, inching closer to the wall so his partner could sit beside him. "There's somethin' that I need to tell you, about my past." He started the same way that Greg did. "I never told you before, because I didn't want you to look at me differently. I thought that if you knew the real me, we wouldn't have got as close as we have."

"Nothing could make me feel differently about you."

"I haven't told you yet."

"I stand by my word." Greg assured him. "I love everything about you. I don't pick and chose parts that I love about you. I love you completely."

Nick gave him a slight smile, before he breathed in a deep breath. "There are certain people that you're supposed to trust, especially as a kid. You put all your trust in the adults in your life and you have no reason to question it because they're supposed to take care of you."

"Is this about your weird thing with..."

"Yeah." Nick nodded, leaning back against the wall behind him. "I was nine. My folks had last minute dinner plans and my sisters were all out of the house. It was prom night or some kinda dance at school. My parents really wanted to go out with their old friends, but they had me at home to look after. My Mama started phonin' round her friends for a last minute baby sitter. Someone recommended this woman to her. She had never met her before, but she came highly recommended. I think she was in her late twenties." He tried not to picture her too much as the memory still made him feel sick. "She seemed normal. I hadn't had that many babysitters before, but she was kinda like one of my sisters. At first. It wasn't until my scheduled bed time that she showed her true colours."

"You don't have to tell me." Greg reached out for his hand, seeing the nervousness in his eyes. "Not if you don't want to."

"Who else am I gonna tell? You're all I have left now." He grasped Greg's fingers between his own, looking down at their hands as he continued, "I was just a kid. She completely violated my trust." He paused for the longest moment, trying to block it back to the depths of his mind. "She made me do things... no child should. The weird thing I have with babysitters on cases or anywhere is because of her and what she did to me. She screwed up my entire life in one night. I thought it was her that screwed me up, made me think that I liked men, but I felt safe with a man. And I know now that it wasn't anythin' that was done to me. It's just a part of who I am. I know it's not the same, but I know what it's like to feel violated, like your body doesn't belong to you anymore. I never wanted to do somethin' like that to you. You must think you traded one monster for another."

Greg leant forwards, pressing a kiss to the man's forehead. He pulled him closer to hug him tightly, cradling his head against his shoulder. "It's not... exactly like that." He spoke softly, feeling bad for bringing it up when Nick had been through so much worse. "I don't feel as though you violated me. I shouldn't have said it like that. I'm just scared. I'm about to go through the one thing that I wasn't supposed to go through. As much as I want to have a baby with you, I know that I'm not ready to raise one, let alone have one."

"I shouldn't have brought it up."

"No, I'm glad you told me." Greg stroked his fingers through his partner's hair, resting his head against Nick's. "The more I get to know you. The more I wish that I tried to kiss you a lot sooner." He whispered softly, holding his head in his hands. "For both our sakes."

"I think you picked the right time. I was vulnerable on my own with Sadie. I think if you picked any other time, I would have been too bottled up to let you in. I was thinkin' about it on the flight to Texas." He lifted his head, gently placing his hand on the younger man's thigh. "I thought about how I would have reacted if you had kissed me sooner and I think the past me would have hit you if you tried to kiss me like that. Then I would have lost your trust completely."

"I kinda figured that at the time." The younger man confessed.

"But you took the risk anyway?"

"You were worth it." He smiled against his lips, moving forwards to steal a kiss. "I am a little excited about having your baby. It's not like it's all bad. I think my fear just tops it at the moment because we're approaching the next scan today. I still can't believe that there's a baby in here." He placed his hand on his stomach, letting Nick inch closer to hold him. "It doesn't feel real unless I see it, you know?"

"I know." Nick placed his hand over Greg's, resting their heads together. "I'm sorry I put you through this."

"Don't be sorry." Greg swept his fingers through his boyfriend's hair. "I said it's not all bad. You gave me the chance to experience the one thing I thought that I never could. You're double bagging it from now on." He warned him, lacing their fingers together. "A handful of rugrats aren't exactly my idea of a future with you. I'd rather have you all to myself. My Nana used to tell me that your life ends when a baby is added to the mix. Call me selfish, but I only ever wanted you. I thought I would never get to be with you after I found out about Sadie. I don't want kids to tear us apart or get in the way of us being together. I just want you. I'm not saying we should get rid of Sadie, because she's actually kinda cute. And I suppose I'll get used to this one eventually, but I still only want you."

"It won't." Nick smiled up at him. "Sadie hasn't exactly torn us apart has she? Thanks for sayin' we can keep her though." He smirked, brushing his thumbs across the backs of the younger man's hands. "If anythin', havin' a baby together will only bring us closer together. It's not gonna tear us apart."

"Did you look into your crystal ball to see that?" Greg smiled at him, tilting his head back against the banister behind him. "My parents never got to see each other when I was little. My Dad was away working all the time. It was just my Mom and me all the time. When he finally got home, he had to divide his time between me and my Mom. I was used to him being gone so much, but my Mom had always had him around before I was born. Papa Olaf told me they were close to calling it quits once. My Dad almost didn't come home for Christmas once because of an argument about how much he was away. And my Dad told me that his father told him to leave my Mom before I was even born. I don't want us to be like that."

"We won't. For one thing, we're not teenagers. We're adults and we don't need our parents in our lives to decide our fate."

"You can't know that. The baby isn't even here yet and we're already drifting further apart. What are we supposed to do when it is here? Will we even see each other at all? Will you still love me?"

"Of course I will." Nick slid his arms around him. "I love you so much already. This only makes me love you even more. Everythin' we've been through over the past few months, it's only made us closer and stronger. Makin' me love you even more." He cupped the younger man's chin in his hand, looking into his eyes. "I'll make time for you. We'll see each other every day. Every mornin' and night."

"Promise?" Greg looked at his lips poised in front of him.

"I promise." Closing the gap between them, Nick merged their lips together, not even noticing the realtor walking in through the front door as their tongues tangled together in their mouths.

"That's promising." The realtor, Dawn broke the silence as they broke their kiss. "So does that mean that this house is a yes?"

Nick turned to look at his boyfriend beside him, giving him a smile. "No, not this one. We want to see one of the others again though." He helped Greg to his feet, taking his hand as he led him towards the door. "You sure you don't want this one?"

"Not for us." Greg shook his head, leading the way to the realtors car at the end of the driveway. "Plus I think Sara and I worked a murder scene on this block." He vaguely recognised the street.

"Now you tell me."

"It's one of the nicer looking murder neighbourhoods." The younger man smiled at their realtor, guessing she probably hated them right now. He sat quietly in the back of the car, holding his partner's hand tightly at his side as their realtor drove them off towards the house that felt more like a home than any of the others.

The entrance of the house opened up into a large open hallway, reminding Greg a little of home in California with his parents. On the left it opened up into the first big family room. The house was currently empty of any furniture, but he could almost picture their things inside. The joint kitchen and dining area was straight ahead with a utility room and back door to the garden. On the right of the entrance was the second living room with the stairs leading up to the second floor. He figured the second living room was a new addition to the house as the brickwork on the outside looked a lot newer than the other side. It could have been where the old garage was from the size and position in the house, but the realtor had no idea.

"The garden's bigger than I remembered." Nick made his way through to the kitchen, examining the size of it. The grass was quite long and it stretched from both ends of the garden. He had never been much of the gardener type, but he figured they could maintain the lawn and get a swing set or something for the kids.

Turning to explore the rest of the house, Nick found his partner upstairs, examining the bedrooms. The half bathroom was downstairs, leaving the two full sized bathrooms upstairs. The one closer to the smaller rooms had the biggest bath tub, making it ideal for their children. He continued down the hall to the master bedroom, finding Greg overlooking the garden from the large window. "What do you think? Shall we put an offer in? Do you see us livin' here?"

"I can." Greg turned to look at him. "Do you think Sadie will like it?" He wished they had brought her now, but she was spending the day with Aunt Catherine, giving them some spare time to look at their last few houses in their range. "It's not really fair that she doesn't get a say in it."

"I think she'll be happy to finally have a home. We've been movin' all over since she was born. This will be her first real home and our first home together as a family."

"Sadie can have the bedroom through here." Greg took hold of his hand, leading the way to the room across the hall. "We can put her cot here and get some drapes for the windows for when she's napping during the day. We can get safety gates for the stairs. And this one," He led the way to the bedroom down the hall from her room. "Can be the guest bedroom. It's not too far from the bathroom, but far away enough from our room to give us some privacy from our mother."

"I've never seen you this excited about a house, so it must be the right one." Nick smiled back at him, feeling a little excited himself. "Okay, let's do it. Are you sure about it? We might find another place that you like even more."

"No, I want this one. I can't look at any other houses. I don't have enough head space." He ran his hand across the smooth wall, looking out the window beside him. "Besides, I like this one. I want it."

Determined to make Greg happy, Nick sealed a kiss to his lips, before he sealed the deal on the house. The realtor seemed a lot happier than him about closing the deal, probably glad to see the back of the most fussy clients she had ever dealt with, but it was definitely all worth it.

"C'mon Greg, we gotta get goin'," Noticing the time on his watch, Nick realised they were going to be late for his appointment at this rate.

Looking up the stairs as his partner finally emerged, Nick couldn't suppress his grin as he looked so happy walking down the stairs of their future home.

"How long do we have to wait? Before it's ours completely."

"The process can take as long as thirty days." The realtor overheard, seeing the disappointment on his face. "The house will need to be inspected. You're paying asking price, so the sellers will accept very quickly. The owners have already moved out, so that'll make things a little quicker. Escrow can take a little longer to close. That's your payment being transferred to the sellers. When that's all done, you'll be given keys and the deed. I'll keep you updated. You can of course hire your own inspectors of the property and you can arrange to see it again whenever you like. I have all your numbers to keep in touch, so I'll let you know when you can move in."

Greg gave out a soft sigh, reluctantly making his way out of the house. He glanced back at it from the driveway, feeling a little home sick already. He knew it would take some time, but he wasn't expecting it to be nearly a month before they could move in. "We'll 'have' to stay with my parents now." He pointed out to his partner, taking his hand as he took a step closer towards him. "You like it too, don't you?"

"I love it. It's definitely the right one for us." He anxiously waited for their realtor to hurry out of the house, wanting to get back to his car so they could make their appointment. "Are you excited?" He held Greg's hand tightly, giving him a smile. "How big do you think they'll be?"

"Fifteen weeks, it can't be that big."

"Sixteen, almost seventeen weeks now." Nick corrected him. "You were fifteen weeks last week, G. It's almost the end of the sixteenth week now."

"It still can't be very big though, right?" He smoothed his hand down his stomach, glad that it didn't pop out too much at the moment, but he was curious to know how big he was going to get as the baby continued to grow. "I think the baby books said the baby is about the size of an apple at this stage."

Nick smiled widely, grabbing the door as soon as the realtor returned to her car. She drove very slowly despite his rush to get back to the truck, but they made it to the doctor's office just on time. In fact, a little too on time, bringing on the torment of waiting. "I think I read this one in your shrinks office the other week." Nick tossed the magazine onto the coffee table, running his fingers through his hair. "I bet there's not even anyone in there with him."

"You seriously hate waiting, don't you?" Greg grinned at him, sliding his hand into Nick's to comfort him. "And my Mom thinks I'm the hyper one. How are you going to manage waiting nine months for the baby to come out?"

"Hey, I waited all my life to find you, didn't I?" He smiled back, leaning forwards to steal a kiss from his lips. "I can be patient. I just don't like bein' patient. I guess you've kinda figured that one out already after all the steps we've taken so quickly this year. I've waited so long for everythin' else in my life to happen. I don't wonna wait for things to happen anymore. I'm finally where I wonna be."

"Which means you can settle down a little and wait." The younger man smiled wider.

"Finally. Here we go." He sprang to his feet as he spotted their doctor, pulling Greg up with him. He held the door open for his partner, feeling even more excited as they made their way inside. He sat patiently while the doctor took Greg's blood pressure and things, anxiously waiting for the scan itself.

"This will be the first one since the discovery, right?" The doctor checked, directing him to lay on the bed, while he made some adjustments on the ultra sound machine.

"We had one at the hospital a few weeks ago, but they were just checking the heartbeat." Greg climbed on the bed, pulling his t-shirt up his chest. "I think the doc at the hospital just wanted to satisfy his curiosity." He shivered as the doctor tucked paper into his jeans, before he squeezed on the freezing cold gel. He dropped his head back against the back of the bed, reaching out for Nick's hand as they waited for the doctor to finish setting up the machine beside them. "Will you be able to tell if it's a girl or a boy at this stage?"

"Sixteen weeks is usually a little early, but I can give you a rough idea if you want to know." The man glanced at his patient's partner, who looked a little apprehensive about learning the gender of the baby. "We'll take a look, shall we?" He grabbed the device, gently running it across the cold gel on Greg's stomach. He moved the screen to face the younger man beside him, adjusting the glasses pressed against his nose before he started examining the screen for himself.

"Is that the head?" Nick leant a little closer.

"Side view. You can see the nose... and the little mouth opening and closing." The doctor motioned towards the circular shape, moving the device round to a better angle so they could see the baby's tiny facial features. "Looks like baby is laying transverse across your stomach at the moment. There's the feet." He moved it around to show them the image of the tiny feet. He circled the same area a few times, finding something suspicious on the scan.

"What's wrong?" Greg saw the look in the man's eyes.

"There's nothin', is there?" Nick started to worry.

"Hold on just a moment," The man focused on part of the body, worrying them even more as he stopped to stare it for a moment. "It's very early stages at the moment, so there's no need to be worried. These things usually sort themselves out over time, but your baby has what's called a heart arrhythmia. An irregular heartbeat. Did they actually listen to the heartbeat when you were in the hospital?"

"No." Nick answered, clutching Greg's hand a little tighter. "He just did a quick scan to make sure the baby was okay after everythin'. What does this mean for the baby?"

"The irregular heartbeat could correct itself as the baby continues to develop." The man removed the device from his patient's stomach to try and explain things to him. "We'll have to monitor you a little closer. I'll book you in for a fetal heart monitoring session at the hospital. They'll listen to your baby's heart for an hour or so and a specialist will be able to talk to you about the results. I'll just take some measurements then we'll get that booked in today."

"Today?" Greg looked at him surprised, thinking he'd have to wait a week or so for something like that.

"How's your diet been lately? Do you drink a lot of caffeine?"

The younger man immediately turned to look at his partner, remembering the conversation they had about him giving up his favourite beverage for the baby. He never knew that his favourite drink would do something like this to his baby, making him feel even less cut out for this pregnancy.

"Could that be the cause?" Nick gave him a curious look.

"It might not be, but caffeine can increase your own heart as well as your baby's. It's been advised to limit your caffeine intake while you're pregnant to help prevent this. But it might just be a defect that will correct itself as your baby continues to develop." He kept them waiting in silence, while he took the baby's measurements.

Instead of looking at the monitor to watch his baby moving, Greg tilted his head back, staring up at the ceiling above him. He felt tears coming on, but he couldn't let them out while he was in the presence of the doctor. Once they were all done, he anxiously waited to be seen at the hospital, nervously licking his lips every time someone walked past them.

"It'll be okay." Nick slid his hand into his partner's, clutching it tightly. "He said the baby could grow out of this. And everythin' else looks normal and healthy for this stage."

"I know. I was there too, remember." He smiled slightly, weaving his fingers through Nick's. "I'm okay. I just wish they would hurry up." His attention immediately turned towards the noise coming from down the hall, realising it was a woman screaming. He clutched Nick's hand tighter, cringing as she continued to scream through the painful contraction. He didn't actually realise they were on the maternity ward, until a second scream came from the other end of the hall. He could hear lots of voices egging her on, while the woman just screeched and cried desperately. "Make sure they put me to sleep when this baby comes."

"If they put you to sleep, neither of us will see the baby bein' born." Nick pointed out to him, determined to see his second child coming into the world. "They'll give you the epidural in the bottom of your spine. It'll make you completely numb from the waist down, so they can perform a c-section. I did some research." He confessed. "You won't have to go through all that." He motioned over his shoulder as the woman continued to scream at the top of lungs. She paused for just a moment, before the burning pain started up again. "They only put you under if you or the baby is in trouble, so they can control the bleedin' or somethin'. But I can't be in the room if they put you under."

Greg slid his fingers between Nick's, gripping his hand tightly once again. "Can you still cut the cord with a c-section?"

"I don't know. I didn't read that part." Nick shrugged his shoulders together, leaning forwards as the woman down the other end of the hall finally went silent. He worried a little at first, but after a moment he could hear the familiar cry of a newborn. He almost missed that cry from Sadie, but he'd probably be regretting that thought as soon as their own newborn arrived. "You want me to cut the cord?"

"My Dad got to cut my cord. My Mom wanted a home birth, but I was laying transverse. I eventually came out backwards, so they had to be in hospital. Good thing too, apparently my Mom was begging for the drugs, but she pushed me out without anything. Not even gas and air. They didn't have time to set it up." He regretted bringing up the conversation of childbirth at the time with his mother last weekend, but he felt a little more prepared and even more out of his depth after their conversation. "Nana Olaf gave me my first bath. My Dad fed me my first bottle while my Mom was doped up to her eyeballs in pain killers."

"You asked?" Nick guessed, giving him a smile. "I thought you said you were avoidin' any topic with baby's in it while you were there?"

"I was, but then I started thinking about what I wanted while you were in Texas." He confessed, tilting his head back against the wall behind him. "I wanted you to cut the cord and hold him or her first. I know it will probably be a doctor or something, but I want to hold our baby first. I want my Mom there. Not there in the room anyway. As if she'd give me a choice on whether she was there or not." He smirked. "I want you in the room and only you. My Mom, Dad and Nana will have to wait until after. I would like Nana there to see the baby, but it's too far for her to travel at short notice. My Dad's a little squeamish, but I want him there. Maybe Sara too. She kept asking me loads of questions the other week like she was trying to find out if she could go through it."

"She should. Sara would be a good Mom. I don't really see her puttin' a profile up on a datin' site though."

"Maybe she already has someone in mind." He simply smiled at his partner.

"Mr Sanders," A nurse finally called his name, double checking her notes, before she smiled at the patient walking towards her. "Hi there, I'm Kathy. Sorry about the screaming. We'll get you hooked up to a fetal monitor in here." She ushered them towards one of the empty rooms. "Do you want to pop yourself up onto the bed. It just goes around your middle, so you won't need to get undressed."

Greg held onto his partner's shoulder while he pulled off his sneakers, before he pulled himself up onto the bed. The nurse adjusted it so he could sit upright, adjusting the pillow behind him. "Have you done lots of these before?"

"A fetal heart monitor? Yes. Every baby is unique though, so I wouldn't be able to tell you anything based on your results here today. The doctor will discuss that with you later." Kathy set up a chair for Nick to sit on, before she started to set up the monitor. The strap around his body felt cold, but that was nothing compared to the freezing cold monitor she placed on his stomach a few moments later. He glanced to the side as she started setting up the machine, hearing a train sound as the heart started to pound through the machine. "There we are. I'll be back in just a moment. Don't worry about the numbers on there."

Greg's attention immediately focused on the numbers she told him not to worry about, watching them going up and down every few seconds. He had to admit that the sound coming out of it really didn't sound like a normal heartbeat. It was a lot faster than he would have expected for a baby, but it skipped a beat every so often, making him worry.

"Hey, she told you not to focus on it." Nick tapped his knee, pulling his chair closer to get Greg to look at him on the other side of the bed instead. "Have you thought about havin' a baby shower? I never had one with Sadie. I coulda used one to help me get all the stuff together for her. We could just invite our friends from the lab, your parents. Get some of the stuff we need for baby number two." He suggested, giving the man a nervous smile. "I was sort of hopin' you'd say yes, since I sort of already accepted Catherine's offer to plan one for you."

"Oh..." He tilted his head back, trying to avoid the sound behind him. "I guess that would be okay. It's not like a bachelor party is it? Because I've had a lot of bad experiences at those."

"No." He smiled, taking hold of Greg's hand. "There's no drinkin'. It's durin' the day and all the guests will bring you presents to open. There's not as much throw up to deal with either." The man smirked, rubbing his thumb across the back of his partner's hand. He concentrated on his eyes as they listened to the heart beat, seeing the worry that he was trying to mask. "If the house is goin' to take thirty days before we can move in, we could get a hotel room close to work. Maybe in one of your favourite casinos?"

"Are you trying to bribe me, Mr Stokes?"

"Yeah." He devilishly grinned, leaning forwards to steal a kiss from his lips. He gently combed his fingers through the man's hair, smiling as he studied his face. "I never thought in a million years I'd be doin' somethin' like this with Greg Sanders."

"Didn't exactly picture myself having a baby with Nicholas Stokes, either."

"Regret it?" Nick queried, a little fearful of the answer at this point. He had already lost the support of his entire family in the past week, he couldn't bear the thought of losing Greg too.

"Not a moment of it." Pulling Nick closer by his hand, Greg pressed a kiss to the man's forehead, before he put his arms around him to hold him close. "Mmm, I've missed your smell." He pulled him closer to smell his neck, feeling tingles in his stomach. "C'mere," He patted the bed beside him, shifting over slightly to let the man sit down beside him. "They're not gonna care if you sit on the bed with me, Nick." He patted it again, smiling as he obliged with the action. "Are you hoping for a boy or a girl?"

"I suppose a boy, so we have one of each, but I'm not really bothered if we have a girl. I just want us to have a healthy baby. That'll be my wish." He rested his hand over Greg's, listening to the constant patter of their baby's heartbeat beside them. "What do you want it to be?"

"I don't know. I think I'd find it hard to relate to a girl. Maybe a boy too. I don't want them to grow up and hate me."

"Why would they? Sadie adores you."

"On cases, little kids like me because I'm the cool dork that speaks their language, but the older kids and teens just see me as a dorky loser, just like back in Highschool. I always leave them for Warrick or Catherine to deal with. I could probably deal with this kid until about ten whatever gender they are, but after that they're gonna hate me and see me for what I really am."

"It's different with your own child. Your baby will worship you. You are Daddy to them. They'll look up to you. You're the all powerful protector. Think how you feel about your Dad. That's how Sadie and our son or daughter will feel about you."

Greg smiled slightly, feeling a little calmer already. "It's weird to think of my parents going through this. To me, they've always been my parents. I never pictured them as teenage parents trying to get it right."

"That's how kids see their parents. Most kids anyway."

"Once we've packed up my stuff from my apartment," Greg quickly tried to get them off the topic of parents. "You can book the hotel. Or we can take my Mom up on her offer and crash with them. I'm still working though." He warned him, determined to stay in control of his life. "I'm lab bound at the moment anyway. It's not like I'll actually be in any danger. The amount of time I spent sitting down and waiting for things to process the other week, I had time to re-read the first Harry Potter. Grissom won't let me near any of the chemicals and the morgue still makes me queasy. He'll probably have me on light duty filing next week." He adjusted himself on the bed, giving the man beside him a smile. "You do know what Harry Potter is right? I think I might lose all respect for you if you don't."

"I think I caught the first part of the movie. I watched that Goblet of Fire one all the way through one Christmas."

"With your family?"

"By myself." Nick smirked, brushing his fingers against Greg's. "I didn't go back that year because they were havin' this big Christmas Ball thing. I like dancin', but I didn't want to be the only one there without a date... again, so I said that work was really busy and I couldn't go. I had already taken the time off from the lab, so I stayed home and watched movies for about two weeks straight. I watched one of the Lord of the Rings movies and the Bridget Jones collection." He confessed, giving the man beside him a guilty smile. "I like all types of movies. Comedies, sci-fi, thrillers, rom-coms... I like em all. It's why I've always kinda avoided askin' you out to the movies or somethin', in case I pick somethin' that you didn't like."

Greg chuckled softly, adjusting himself again as his back started to cramp. "I like all kinds of movies. I've seen Bridget Jones' diaries. My Mom got the box set one Christmas, so we watched them all together. I'm not gonna break up with you because of your choice in movies. I'm behind the obsession with birds, aren't I?"

"I'm not obsessed with birds... they just interest me." Nick corrected him, pressing his lips to the side of the younger man's head. "God I've missed talkin' to you. I've never been with someone before that I can just talk about anythin' with... without all the awkward silent parts where they're tryin' to think of somethin' to say and I'm just waitin' for it to end, so I know this is the real thing."

"Uh oh, sounds like another proposal speech coming up."

"No proposal." The man shook his head, gently combing his fingers through his partner's hair. "I just want you to know that I will always be there for you. I'll never leave you or walk out on you or this baby. I'll be by your side no matter what, because you are my soul mate, Greg Sanders."

Greg smiled widely, noticing the heart monitor beside him speeding up a little. He tried to relax himself a little, taking in a deep breath or two, watching the heart beat steadying back to the pace it was before. "Am I the cause of this?"

"Why would you think that?"

"Because of my life. The doctor as good as said that my coffee habit could have caused this. Then there's the case of the ex boyfriend who tried to make me his lifetime prisoner, before he got bored of me and tried to kill me too. The odd hours working at the lab. I experimented with drugs in my twenties, no needles, but it's probably still in my system. I even took up smoking once. Don't you dare tell my mother." He warned him. "This kid doesn't have a chance already and it's not even born yet, all because it's growing inside someone like me."

"I mean this in the nicest possible way, G. But you're so full of shit." The man smiled at him. "You did all that stuff years ago. You're perfectly healthy and so is our baby. The doc said it's a heart murmur that they want to keep an eye on. It's not because of you or anythin' that you did."

"What am I supposed to do to make sure that this kid gets to live then? Tell me that."

Nick gently brushed his fingertips across the younger man's head, looking into his eyes. "The only thing you need to do is relax. You're not gonna do this baby any favours by stressin' out like you are. Just relax and let me take care of everythin'."

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! Hope you have a good week.**

 **Take Care.**

 **~ Holly**


	9. Chapter 9 - Surprise

**Chapter Nine - Surprise**

"I can still lift things." Giving his boyfriend a playful push away from the box, Greg lifted it on his own with ease, sticking his tongue out at the man. It only had clothes in it, so it was one of the lighter boxes, but he wanted to prove to him that he could still do it. "I think I'm gonna miss this place." He carried it through his apartment to the stack of boxes against the wall. He knelt down beside Sadie in the front room, making sure it was only her toys she was putting in her mouth. He scooped her out of her toys, carrying her through the bedroom to watch Nick taking apart the bed. "Are you gonna miss it?"

"I'll miss it a little, I guess." Nick shrugged his shoulders, looking up at Greg cradling his daughter against his chest. "It's the first place I ever lived with you. It's not the nicest place I've ever stayed in, but I'll always cherish it for that. But it's always been kinda cramped. Even my sister's place felt more spacious than this place."

"Hey," Greg pouted his lip out at him. "It was fine for me when it was just me living here. Your stuff takes up the most room, you little monkey." He playfully tickled, Sadie in his arms, eliciting an adorable shriek from her. "Have you decided what we're gonna do until the house is available yet? You know we are technically homeless now. Neither of us have a place to live anymore."

"Yeah, I thought about it." Nick leant back on his heels. "You're not gonna like it, but you and Sadie are goin' to stay with your folks. It's safe, they have the room and I already accepted your Mom's offer, so you have to." He gave him a guilty smile. "While you're there, I'm gonna crash with Warrick here a few days a week when I start up back at the lab. Grissom said I can start on Monday. When you start up again, we can find a hotel room that won't completely clean us out. We'll stay there until we can move into the new house."

"You are? Going back to work, I mean." Leaning back against his mattress perched on the wall, Greg looked into the eyes of the baby in his arms, realising this was what it was going to be like from now on.

"Just for a few days a week. To get back into the swing of things."

"Just a few days a week?" Greg bit his lip. "What about when I start work again?"

"I was hopin' that now you would take some time off. You're currently on leave anyway. Why not just take it off completely. At least until..."

"So, what? I'm just supposed to be the stay at home Mom from now on. Your little stay at home wife with the brats and a house to take care of? If you want something to domesticate, you're better off going back to being straight or getting a dog, because I'm not going to do that."

"Until the baby is born." Nick finished his sentence, pushing himself to his feet. "I never said anythin' about domesticatin' you or makin' you my stay at home wife. I already said when you start up again, we'll find a hotel. Relax, okay?" He smiled at him, starting to get used to the outburst of his emotions lately with the younger man's shift in hormones. "I will finish up here, why don't you and Sadie head to store and pick us up somethin' to eat."

"Okay." Transferring the baby to Nick's arms, Greg motioned towards the bathroom over his shoulder. "I gotta pee again."

"Will you at least consider takin' some time off from work?"

"Nick, I'm already having your kid, looking after your other kid, moving into a family home and attending a baby shower. I don't think I can compromise anymore. I love you, but I gotta draw the line somewhere. Working is the only thing I have left of my life before you. I need it. Okay?"

"Okay. I love you too." Nick smiled at him, gently patting Sadie's back. He looked into her eyes, realising how much his life had changed due to the addition of a baby. He was about to get a little part of his old life back, making him excited to take that next step, but he realised that Greg still needed some time to adjust.

"Okay, I'm ready." Rubbing the bottom of his spine, Greg slipped his feet into some sneakers, before he grabbed the baby from Nick's arms. "I'm not saying that my life before you was better or anything. I wouldn't go back to it for anything in the world." He assured the man. "I still want to be me though."

"I get it." Nick nodded. "I've been tryin' to get back to bein' me ever since I first found out about, Sadie. Since she came along, it's like my life has been on hold. So I can understand tryin' to hold onto that and I'll give you all the time you need. You can still be you. You'll just be Greg with a family."

"Okay." He sighed softly. "C'mon trouble, we better go."

"Hey, I love you." Nick called after him.

"Love you too." Greg made his way towards the front door, digging out his wallet from his jacket. He was boiling at the moment, so he wasn't going to bother taking it with him.

He could barely sleep last night after tossing and turning, constantly removing the covers or Nick's arm from his waist. It could have been the fact that they were back in his apartment for the first time since his attack here or it could have been the growing baby inside of him and the fact that it was now summer in the hottest city he had ever lived in.

"I'm taking your truck." He called out to him, going for Nick's jacket next. He giggled softly as he felt a playful jab to his side, moving his hands out the way so his boyfriend could grab his truck keys from the inside pocket of his jacket. "Thank you." He snatched up the keys from his hands. "I'll take good care of your baby."

"Dada..." Sadie pointed back towards the man.

"Daddy isn't coming with us this time. It's just you and me this time, little monkey." Greg pecked a playful kiss to her cheek.

"I'll see you later, baby girl." Nick pressed a kiss to her forehead, stealing a quick one from his boyfriend's lips. "Be careful. This should be all packed up by the time you get back. Just think, about this time last year, we were packin' up my place so I could move to Texas."

"I didn't exactly help with that." Greg reminded him, giving him a slight smile. "Mostly because I didn't really want you to go. I thought if I didn't help, it wasn't really happening. I guess it all worked out in the end though." He leant closer to the older man, sealing a quick kiss from his lips. One year on and he still made his heart flutter with every kiss. "Bye." He lifted Sadie higher against his chest, making his way towards the stairs. She held onto the keys until he was in the garage, clinging to him a little tighter as they made their way through the eerie underground garage of his apartment building. He hadn't been down there alone since the attack, making him walk a lot slower than normal, trying to keep an eye on every inch of the place. He paused as he heard a clattering sound, breathing slowly to try and locate the sound.

Sadie pointed towards the stairwell against the wall, waving at the lady making her way out of it with a large box in her hands.

Greg gave out a soft sigh of relief, pecking a kiss to Sadie's cheek. "That was a close one. What would I do without you?" He spotted Nick's truck in the distance, hastily making his way towards it to climb inside. He quickly strapped Sadie into the back, closing up the door before he dove for the front seat. He pulled the door shut behind him, clicking the lock down with another sigh of relief.

He couldn't wait to be rid of this apartment building. The move to their new house couldn't come soon enough.

"We're back." He called through the apartment, holding Sadie in one arm and the grocery bag in the other. He managed to kick the front door shut with his foot, pushing past the piles of boxes to ditch the grocery bag on the counter. He adjusted Sadie against his side, taking a few steps further into the apartment, finding the bed completely dismantled, but no sign of the man who had promised it would all be done before he got back. "Where's Daddy, huh?"

Sadie removed her fingers from her mouth, pointing towards the empty apartment.

"I know. Where is he?" Greg gently lay her down on the sofa cushion, removing her jacket and shoes after their shopping trip. "No, you can't get down yet. Daddy might have left some things on the floor." He scooped her back up much to her protest, treading carefully around the packed up boxes to check the bathroom.

But there was no sign of him in there either.

Turning back towards the kitchen, Greg gave out a sigh, noticing something new tacked to his fridge. He approached it with Sadie, reading the message the man had left him.

'Meet me at the house. I've got a surprise for you.'

The younger man sighed, grabbing the keys from behind him again. "You couldn't have texted me or something? You have to make me drive all the way back here to find out where you are. Your Daddy drives me crazy, little monkey." He patted Sadie on the back, taking her back down the stairs to the car.

It was easier the second time because he parked the car closer to the stairs, meaning he could get out of there a lot quicker.

When he pulled up outside their future house, Greg couldn't help but notice all the cars parked around the once spacious cul-de-sac. It was a surprising amount for six houses, making him sigh as he realised what was happening.

"I think I should have told your Daddy that I hate surprise parties." He unstrapped his seatbelt, subconsciously checking his hair in the mirror. He looked completely exhausted and there was dust stuck to the t-shirt he was wearing after a morning of packing away his apartment. He recognised the cars around him as his fellow CSI's cars, putting even more pressure on him. "I guess we better face the music." He finally climbed out of the car, lifting Sadie out of her car seat. He brushed his thumb across the drool on her chin, gently combing down her hair to make her look more presentable, before he turned towards the house.

"Surprise!"

As suspected, Greg's close friends jumped out from doorframes and furniture, his own furniture, in an attempt to scare him. He was more shocked to see the furniture from his apartment, stashed away in the beautiful home that he was about to spend his future with Nick inside.

"I tried to tell him that you don't like surprise parties. But he had already planned it all." Sara greeted him at the door first, giving him a smile as she leant forwards to hug him. "We've missed you at the lab."

"I've missed the lab. I can't wait to get back." Greg confessed, noticing his mother stepping out of the kitchen. "You managed to keep this quiet. How long exactly have you known?"

"Since nine o' clock this morning, and it's been killing me." The woman giggled softly, putting her arm around her son to give him the next hug. "Your father's known for a week and he didn't let it slip once. How long have you known?" She sensed that his surprise wasn't genuine.

"Nick's been acting shifty for the past three days, but I didn't know until the driveway. Couldn't help but notice all the cars."

Nick closed the door behind him, slipping his arms around his partner's waist. "I knew you'd figure that one out, but we didn't have anywhere else to park."

"Are we allowed to be here this early?" Greg glanced around the house, feeling as though he was trespassing because they were here at least three weeks early.

"I cleared it with the realtor first. I had to use a little Texan charm to bring her round to the idea, but we have the house for the day and all this has to go with us when we leave." He motioned around to the decorations and furniture that Warrick had helped him cart in. "Do you like it?"

"I don't hate it." He spoke softly, tilting his head back against the man's shoulder. "The kind of surprise I was hoping for involved you being naked with candles and maybe some of that twang you like. So imagine my surprise when I find a house full of co-workers and weird blow up baby balloons floating around the room."

"I think your version of a surprise is workable." Nick grinned, peeling himself away from his boyfriend to lift his daughter from his arms. "As soon as we get through this. C'mon, you've got lots of presents to unwrap. You love presents."

"Don't you mean we? Co-parenting means that you have to share at least half the burden." Greg took hold of his hand, leading him through the room full of people to meet and greet. He felt a little awkward now that they all knew he was pregnant, but he didn't get any of the unusual looks or glances that he was expecting after years of torture in Highschool just for being different. In fact, they were all quite the opposite to what he was expecting. He received more than a dozen hugs, even one from Warrick that was the most surprising. He couldn't recall ever being hugged by the man before.

"Feel free to tear open the wrapping paper, it wasn't expensive." Catherine handed over the first present, taking a seat beside him on the sofa.

"What about the gift, was that expensive?" He smirked, giving the present a gentle shake, before he tore it open from the edge. Inside he found a smallish hamper basket with a newborn bib, hat, mittens, onesies, a blanket and a small stuffed little lamb, all in white as the baby's sex was still undetermined. "Thank you, Catherine." He brushed his thumb across the set, amazed at how tiny it all was.

"Lindsey helped pick it out. She's getting into this baby stuff a little too much lately. It's starting to make me worry that she's going to become a teen Mom because she loves baby's so much."

"No, she's a smart kid. She wants a marriage before baby's." Greg let her in on a little bit of information that she told him the last time he was there. "You might wonna start saving for a big wedding before you have to worry about grandchildren." He handed the hamper basket over to his mother beside him, letting her take a look at all the tiny little things. He still didn't go all gooey over the tiny outfits and adorable stuffed animals, but he wasn't worried because he completely adored Sadie and she wasn't biologically related to him.

"I have no idea what it is, but I hope you like it." Sara handed over her present, getting a suspicious look from the younger man.

"It's not going to explode, is it?" He held it slightly away from himself.

"Your Mom told me to buy it. I bought it and wrapped it, but I don't know what it is." The woman defended herself.

"Okay." Greg cautiously reached for the edge of the wrapping paper, tearing up the golden bears to reveal the baby sleep bag inside. He only knew what it was because Nick used to put Sadie in one when she tiny, but he had to admit that it was kinda cute. The front had a bunny in pyjamas printed on it, while the sleep bag itself was printed in faint yellow stars. "Thank you, Sara." He handed it over to his mother, receiving the next gift from one of the lab techs. He couldn't remember her first name, but luckily she had written it on the card for when it came to thanking her for the stuffed frog that made a noise when it was squeezed.

Catherine eventually climbed up from the sofa, making room for Nick to sit down beside him with Sadie in his arms. Sadie giggled in hysterics every time the frog was squeezed, but it got boring as soon as a Winnie the Pooh set was unwrapped. She curiously looked on as he tore open the presents one by one, taking a moment to examine each one, before he moved onto the next.

"Flat pack furniture, oh thanks Warrick." The younger man sarcastically remarked, laying the box flat across his legs. "What's it 'spose to be?"

"It's a highchair. You sit the baby in it when you feed them. When they get older you just dismantle the front, so they can climb up to the chair themselves." The man motioned towards the pictures on the back of the box. "Nick said you'd need another one. Catherine helped me pick it out."

"Thank you, Warrick. So when we move in officially, you can fix it together for us?" He gave him a cheeky grin, sliding the box onto the floor. "If you wonna be godfather, you've gotta compete with David."

"Super Dave?" Nick gave his partner a curious look. "He's going to be godfather of our kid?"

"He called first dibs when he came to visit me at the hospital. Catherine's godmother." He smiled at the woman across the room.

"You're christening your child?" His mother piped into the conversation, folding one of the tiny outfits in her hands. "Why? You don't believe in any of that stuff. No offence, Nick, but I won't let you subject my first official grandchild to something that my son doesn't even believe in. Or us for that matter. We've never forced you to go to church or drilled all that..."

"Mom, would you relax." Greg cut her off, before she started to embarrass him in front of all his colleagues.

"Was this your idea?" Jean gave the Texan an accusing look.

"Hey, it's the first I've heard of it." Nick defended himself, motioning towards his daughter in his arms. "Sadie isn't even christened. I don't think I was either."

"It's just something I've been thinking about." Greg grabbed for another present before Nick and his mother burst into an argument, giving the lab technician behind the present a smile, before he started to tear open the paper. "Look at that." He lifted the teddy bear to Sadie's level, letting her reach out for it. "Thank you." He remembered his manners, climbing to his feet to give the woman a hug. He recognised her as one of the new day shift lab techs, but his memory went blank on her name again.

By the end of the day, he had just about everything he thought he would need for about four baby's, when he was only having the one. He held one of the tiny newborn outfits against, Sadie once everyone was gone, realising how much she had grown already. He wasn't about to let onto Nick or his mother, but he was actually really excited about being able to hold his own baby for the first time. He hadn't been this excited since his first kiss with Nick.

For now, holding Sadie was enough to suffice his excitement.

Sadie was a lot stronger now that she was just over one, so long cuddles were out of the question while she was so active. She wriggled and squirmed until he let her go, crawling towards some of the toys for the new baby. She still had no idea that in a few short months she would have a new baby brother or sister to play with and he was a little worried that she'd feel a little pushed out by the addition of a new baby so soon.

"Hey, you almost ready to go?" Nick poked his head into the front room. "We've just got to put the last of these presents in the car. Your Mom's gonna do a quick whip around, before we head over to the hotel."

"Yeah, we're good." Greg pulled the plastic wrapping away from Sadie, letting her play with the toy that came inside it instead. "Did you pack away the diaper bag already?"

"No, it's out here." The man grabbed the bag from by the door, taking it through to the front room. "I can do it."

"I'll do it." Greg took the bag off him, setting it down beside him. He slid Sadie towards him, laying her down on the unravelled change mat. "I need to get some more practice in, right?" He smiled up at the man, undoing the poppers to Sadie's dress. She didn't wriggle while she was on the change mat, making him a little relieved as the diaper he was about to change was a messy one.

"I'll be in the other room if you need me. Just give me a shout." Nick smiled proudly at him, leaving him to it.

"We got it under control, don't we?" Greg gently tickled the sole of her little foot, reaching for a clean diaper from the bag beside him. "Do you like that?" He caught her eyeing the stuffed little lamb just out of her reach. He leant forwards to grab it for her, letting her hold onto it. "Are you and your little brother or sister going to squabble over these new toys? I never had to share any of my things growing up. I had a cousin that used to cheat at freeze tag, but I never let him anywhere near my stuff in my bedroom." He buttoned her back into her clothes, lifting her against his chest. "Your Daddy was the youngest of seven kids though. Don't worry, there's no way you're getting that many."

"First sign of madness, talking to yourself." His mother grinned in his direction, admiring the look of her son with a baby in his arms.

"But I wasn't talking to myself. I was talking to the baby." He gently patted Sadie's back, watching her carefully examining the lamb in her hands. "Do you think Catherine's right? We should hire a Nanny to help out?"

"You won't need to hire a Nanny. You have me. The actual Nanny." She pointed out to him, watching Nick taking another bag full of stuff out to his car. "C'mon, I'm practically Sadie's only Nanny anyway and I'm free. You don't need to pay me because I love them unconditionally. I don't need to be paid to look after them. What does that Catherine know anyway? She already tried to blow you up. She doesn't exactly seem like the reliable kind of person."

"Forget it." Greg realised why he never bothered asking her for advice anymore. He brought Sadie over to the window to watch her father, noticing her finally starting to rub her eyes with sleepiness. He wanted her to sleep later once they got settled into their hotel room though, giving him some alone time with Nick for the first time in a long time.

"Okay, that's everything." Daniel picked up the diaper bag from the front room. "Can you manage her?"

"Yep, we're ready." Greg turned for the door, giving the house one last look, before he climbed in the car.

By the time they checked in, Greg felt about ready to crawl into bed and fall straight to sleep himself. He dressed Sadie into her pyjamas, smiling as he watched the older man struggling to unfold the collapsible travel cot.

"Need some help?" He called out to him, perching himself on the bed with Sadie against his chest.

"The damn thing won't stay up." Nick gave it a shake. "All it friggin' does is collapse. The catch is broken or somethin'. Look." He let go of it, watching it collapse again. He sighed heavily, taking a seat on the bed beside, Greg in defeat. "How high is this bed?" He realised his feet barely touched the floor. "It's like a giants bed."

"Yeah, but it's super soft." Greg gave it a bounce. "It's probably riddled with bacteria though. Did you bring a black light?"

"You don't need a black light. It's a five star hotel."

"Like that would stop people from doing anything between these sheets." He snickered softly, resting his head against the older man's shoulder beside him. "I'm really proud of you."

"You are?" He sounded a little surprised. "Why?"

"A whole house full of people and you remained completely sane throughout. You executed an awesome party and I got loads of free goodies. So yeah, I'm proud of you. You have nothing to prove to me, because I already love you for who you are." He pressed a kiss to his cheek, handing Sadie over to him. He slid off the giants bed, going for the collapsible travel cot on the floor. He slid the levers into place on either side, letting it go with a cheeky grin as it remained structured rather than a puddle when Nick was trying to fix it. "I guess I will make a pretty good parent after all."

"Show off."

* * *

 **Thank you for reading. Hope you're enjoying the story so far.**

 **More on the way soon.**

 **~ Holly**


	10. Chapter 10 - A Fresh Start

**Chapter Ten - A Fresh Start**

"Hey Catherine, you up for some drinks after work?" Warrick poked his head into her office, watching the woman giving out a sigh as she looked at the huge pile of paperwork on her desk.

"Not a chance. As soon as this is out of the way. I'm gonna crash."

"Okay." Leaving the assistant supervisor to her mountain of paper work, Warrick made his way towards the AV lab, giving the door a light knock, before he tried to wrangle another member of the team out for drinks with him. He figured that Sara would say no before he even finished his sentence, but she surprised him by asking when and where. He hurried down the hall after the last member of the team, catching him before he reached the elevator.

"Hey Nicky, you up for some drinks after work? My treat."

"What's the occasion?" Nick hit the button for the elevator.

"No occasion. Just a few drinks with the team. We haven't done that in a while. C'mon, we used to go out for breakfast and drinks all the time. Not at the same time, but still." He nervously smiled, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans as they waited for the elevator. "Why, have you got something better to do?"

"Yeah... actually. We're movin' into the house today. Finally after five weeks in that hotel room, so I can't. I gotta be sober to lift all the furniture. Greg can't do it in his condition." He stepped into the elevator as the doors opened, glancing back at Warrick. "Rain check though."

"Yeah, I guess. You need any help moving in?" He wondered why Nick hadn't told him sooner. He had always offered to help him before, making the distance in their friendship suddenly seem even bigger.

"No, it's alright." The man shook his head. "Greg's parents are in town. My brother's flight gets in," He turned his wrist to look at the time. "In about an hour, so we've got plenty of help already."

"Your brother? I thought you guys didn't talk."

Nick shrugged his shoulders, thinking about the last time they spoke. "He's really eager to meet, Greg and his niece. He's here for a meetin' for work anyway, so it's not like he only came for me." He put his hand on the door to stop them closing on them. "Next time though. We'll invite you over once we got the place ready."

"How is Greg doing?" He felt as though he never saw either of them anymore.

"Okay." The Texan nodded slightly, stopping the doors from closing again. "Second trimester of pregnancy, you know. I think it's really startin' to hit him now. That and the mood swings. He's doin' great with Sadie though. She's walkin'." He proudly stated. "She just got up and started walkin' in the hotel room the other day. Greg's already talkin' about baby proofin' the entire house."

Warrick gave him a slight smile, trying to recall the days when Nick had lots of other things to talk about other than Greg and the baby. "I'll have to catch you another time for drinks then." He sighed softly as he waved off his former best friend. He thought things would be different now that Nick was back to work with them, but he seemed more distant than ever before.

Nick raced his way through morning traffic to get to his new house, trying to find a parking spot around the cul-de-sac as the driveway was full. He waved to one of the neighbours as he climbed out, grabbing the box from the back of his car, before he made his way up the drive. He felt excited as he used his new set of keys for the first time, letting himself into their new house. "Hi honey, I'm home." He grinned, spotting the younger man in the front room. He ditched his box of things against the wall, pressing a kiss to the younger man's neck as he wrapped his arms around him. "Wow, is this all our stuff?"

"Mine from the apartment and yours from storage. My Dad and I completely cleared out your storage lock up." Greg nodded, tilting his head back against the man's shoulder. "I thought you had more, but I guess your place was a lot smaller than this one. We'll make it fit. We could spread it out. One piece of furniture per room, so the place doesn't feel so empty. Your sofa can stay in here. We can put the coffee table in the other front room. Dining table in the middle of the dining room and space the three chairs out at least a foot from the table, since your table is about the size of me."

"That's your plan, huh?" Nick chuckled softly, pressing another kiss to his neck. "Where's Sadie?"

"Shopping with my Dad. She's tried to climb the stairs twice already, so he insisted on buying the safety gates and stuff now. He's gonna install them for us himself. Oh and my Mom and Nana Olaf are upstairs cleaning. She insisted before we start unpacking any of Sadie's things." Greg turned in his arms, putting a little distance between them from the protruding bump in his stomach. His pregnancy bump had finally popped, making him a little uncomfortable with his increased size, but even more excited about the end result. "It's finally ours. It still feels a little surreal, but we can do whatever we want with this place because it's finally ours."

"I know what you mean." Nick brushed his thumb across his partner's cheek, stealing a quick kiss from his lips. "It's all ours, finally. We really have a place to call home." He gave out a soft sigh of relief, combing his fingers through the younger man's hair. "No turnin' back now. Are you sure you're ready to spend the rest of your life with me?"

"I'm sure." Greg leant forwards to steal a kiss from his lips. "No marriage proposals." He quickly warned him, playfully jabbing him in the side. "Now go take a shower. Mom cleaned it already. I laid out your toothbrush, towel and there's some clean clothes hanging on the back of the door. I couldn't find your shower gel though, so you can use mine."

"I love you." Nick burst into a grin, pecking a kiss to his forehead. He gave him a smile, before he hurried off up the stairs. He smoothed his hand across the freshly polished banister, rounding the corner to the scent of strong lemons coming from the bathrooms. "Hi, ladies." He found them in the room that was going to be Sadie's.

"Hi, Nicky." Nana Olaf smiled at him from behind the curtain she was holding.

"What do you think?" Jean stepped down from the step ladder, smoothing out the curtain she had already hung up. "Greg picked them out, but I think they're quite good. They're double layered." She opened it up to show him. "They'll block out the light so she can nap in here during the day."

"They're nice." Nick agreed with her, lifting the second one out of Nana Olaf's arms to help her out. "We weren't quite sure what colour to paint her room."

"Violet?" Jean suggested.

"Ugh," Her mother immediately grimaced. "You'd walk in here every morning and want to throw up looking at violet walls."

"There's nothing wrong with violet." She protested, grabbing the colour chart off the window ledge. "We picked a few of these up this morning. What do you think of this colour?" She found the colour they had been looking at, holding it up to the wall. "It's called Dreamy Baby."

"It's violet. And it's horrible." Nana Olaf shook her head, taking the colour chart off her hands. "You need something like this. Just because she's a girl, it doesn't mean she needs the big princess bedroom. Trust me, you don't want a little princess on your hands." She held up one of the greens to him. The curtains had overlapping squares of blues, greens, yellows and whites, so it seemed to compliment them a lot better than Jean's violet idea. But Nick wasn't about to pick sides. "You could even just do one wall in this colour and keep the rest of them white. That's the trend these days isn't it? A feature wall."

"I like it." Nick agreed with the woman, surprised at how easy it was to find something that he did actually like. He had been flipping through paint charts and room ideas for the past few weeks with no luck, but they finally had a plan for Sadie's room. "Are those carpet swatches?" He noticed the larger booklet on the floor. "Greg doesn't like all the carpets upstairs."

"There's nothing wrong with these carpets." Nana Olaf looked down at her feet.

"He thinks they're too rough." Jean informed her mother. "Sadie was crawling on them earlier and she got a graze on her knee. I told him to dress her in something thicker for crawling, but he insisted that we change the carpets instead. That's why I picked up one of those. You can return it to the store once you've made your decision. I think this one would go well." She held up a soft cream one, but her mother didn't agree.

"You'd never keep it that colour with two babies. You need something a little darker. Here this one. It'll match the carpet going up the stairs. You could do the whole floor with this one." Nana Olaf selected her own, holding out the sample to Nick. "It's soft too for the little ones to crawl on."

Nick found himself in a dilemma this time. He didn't really like either of their choices and he didn't have Greg to rescue him from their constant bickering over colours and carpet softness. He finally managed to make his escape when Daniel arrived back from the store, calling for help to unload the things from the car. He carried the boxes inside for him while Greg grabbed the baby, making his quick escape to the bathroom to shower after his long shift at the lab.

"Went a bit crazy with the safety stuff, didn't you Dad?" Greg held baby Sadie in his arms, watching his father from a distance un-boxing the plastic drawer catches and things. "She only just started walking. I doubt she's going to go through the cutlery drawers and we only have the one set of stairs. Why do we need three gates?"

"Your mother said top of the stairs, bottom of the stairs and one spare in case you want to block them out of the kitchen. It's adjustable, so it'll stretch across a doorway or between the island and the counter." Daniel informed him of his instructions, lifting out the brand new gate from the box. "So, bottom of the stairs first so you can let her crawl down here?"

"Okay." Greg led the way to the bottom of the stairs. "Watch the paint work. Nicky wants to keep the hallway as is for now." He warned him, standing watch as the man lifted the gate into place. He made a few adjustments to the screws on the sides, making sure it was secure.

"You want to test it out?"

"That's it?" Greg was expecting more work than that, but it was over in an instant.

"That's it." His father smiled at him. "You can take it off and put it anywhere you like as easy as that."

"Okay." He lowered Sadie to the floor, watching her curious little hands going straight for the bars of the gate. "How do you open it?"

"Lift it up and pull. It even has a diagram on the catch." Daniel gave him a demonstration, smiling as Sadie climbed up onto the first step, inspecting the gate from the other side. "You're supposed to remain this side of the gate." He chuckled softly. "If she's anything like you were at that age, she'll be up and over that thing within a few months. Your mother had to resort to keeping an eye on you twenty four seven to keep you from going over it."

"Yeah, that's really comforting, Dad." He sarcastically remarked, lifting Sadie from the stairs before she went any higher. "You're not gonna put them on all of the doors are you? I've seen those fridge ones on crime scenes before and they're a nightmare to open."

"I didn't get one of them. I got the safety catches for the cupboards and drawers in the kitchen. And the bumper things for doors. We'd only have to do the cupboards low to the ground. I got these for your coffee table too." He grabbed the rubber edges that were supposed to stop baby's from hitting their heads on the corners of sharp things. He only grabbed everything his wife told him, but he was starting to realise that it might be a little too much. "Hey, better safe than sorry right?"

"You'd never give us any trouble, would you?" Greg pressed a playful kiss to the baby's cheek. "Are you hungry yet? I'm hungry. Dad are you hungry?"

"I could eat." The man nodded, patting his empty stomach. "Your mother made me skip breakfast this morning so we wouldn't be late to help you move."

"I told her that we would have been fine doing it on our own. She didn't have to drag Nana down here to help too."

"The woman practically insisted on coming with us." Daniel defended his wife, following his son through to the kitchen. "She wanted something to do. She's retired with no husband or grandchildren to dote over since you flew the nest. Her words, not mine. You know if you want to go back to work after this baby comes, your Nana would be happy to help out. It'd give her something to do."

Greg lowered Sadie to the kitchen floor, freeing up his hands to search their new fridge for some food. It was mostly just the things left over from their five weeks in the hotel, but nowhere near enough to scrape something together for lunch. "I haven't really thought about it." He finally answered his father. "It might drive me crazy after the first day or so."

"You still don't think you can stomach it when you've been taking care of her all this time?" His father motioned towards the baby clinging to the leg of his jeans. She normally crawled off to explore after being held by anyone else, but she had become quite attached to Greg lately. "You're not going to be handed a medal or qualification to say that you're a parent, Greg. You're already a parent whether you like or not and your proof is right there." He gave his son a smile, taking his tools over to the first cabinet.

Greg reached his hands beneath Sadie's arms, lifting her against his chest again. He looked into her eyes for a moment, before he smiled at his father in front of him. "When will I get the insightful father knowledge part of the deal?"

"That you learn over time. You'll get the hang of it though. Look at how Nick handled it."

"Nick always had that fatherly instinct in him though." Greg searched his pockets for his wallet, finding it in his jacket slung over the boxes against the wall. "We better go shopping for some food." He lifted Sadie higher against his chest, slotting his wallet in the back pocket of his jeans. "When Nick gets out of the shower, tell him we've gone to the store."

"Alright, be careful." His father called after him.

Greg carefully loaded the baby into the car seat, giving her a playful tickle before he closed the door. He waved to his mother and Nana Olaf in the window above him, giving them a smile as he climbed into the driver's seat. He pulled his seatbelt tight around his stomach, feeling a little self conscious about his increased size. He wished he had remembered to bring Nick's big sweatshirt with him, but he felt his stomach rumbling with hunger that seemed to be the priority at the moment.

He found his way to the bakery aisle first, craving something sweet and sugary. He browsed the bear claws, icing sugar covered pastries and the glazed dough noughts, feeling the baby inside him kicking a little harder every time his stomach rumbled.

"Is that Sadie?" He heard a woman's voice coming from behind him. He turned around, turning as pale as the icing sugar as he spotted the absent mother stood behind him. At least after nearly a year she could finally get her own daughter's name right, but what was she doing here of all places. "Hi," She stepped closer to her baby, giving her a wide smile. "You're... Nick's roommate, right?" She tried to place him. "Todd?"

"Greg." He corrected her, trying not to roll his eyes while she was still looking at him.

"Oh right, sorry. Thank you for tolerating our Sadie all this time. It must be hard for a single guy like you to put up with a baby. It shouldn't be for much longer though. Nick said he's in the market for a house. I've just got an apartment of my own close to the city. A friend of mine hooked me up with a waitressing job, so I'll be around more often to take care of Sadie."

Greg sunk his teeth into his bottom lip to keep himself from saying anything. He still couldn't believe that Nick hadn't told her the truth, but it wasn't up to him to spill the beans, so he bit harder to keep the words buried deep down inside.

He stood watch as she fawned over the baby in the seat of the shopping cart, sensing Sadie's discomfort as she gave the woman a confused look. He couldn't do anything to stop her though as she was still under the impression that he was nothing to the baby, while she was the mother. He knew Sadie a lot better than she did though and he sensed her tears coming on from the slight quiver of her bottom lip. She didn't take to strangers very well and this woman was no exception.

"Hi," Nick greeted him at the door, quickly grabbing the baby being handed to him, before he stepped aside to let the younger man storm past him. "You gotta lift it." He watched him struggling with the safety gate at the bottom of the stairs. "Lift the catch, G."

"I know how to do it." Greg snapped at him, lifting the gate free to make his escape up the stairs. He wished he had a bed to crash against once he was up there, but there was only a mattress wedged behind all the boxes in there.

"I'll go." Nick stopped his future mother in law from stepping in. He handed over his daughter to her, leaving Daniel, Jean and Nana Olaf at the foot of the stairs, while he made his way up them to check on the very hormonal and pregnant, Greg. He gave the bedroom door a light knock, pushing it open slightly to make sure he wasn't holding a large and heavy object to hit him over the head with.

"I don't want to talk to you." The younger man slid down the wall, easing himself to the floor.

"That's fine." Nick clicked the door shut behind him, kneeling down in front of him. "But I can still talk to you." He gave him a slight smile, but Greg just turned his head away."Can you at least tell me what I've done this time? The last time I saw you, you still loved me."

"I do still love you. I just don't want to talk to you right now."

"Then what did I do?" He crawled closer, placing his hand on the younger man's knee. "I know I picked up my towel off the bathroom floor. The toilet seat is down. Is this another crazy hormone attack that I'm not supposed to understand?" He got a slight smile out of him this time, reminding him of the chicken sandwich incident the other day. He swore that Greg said no cheese, but when he returned home with a cheese-less chicken sandwich, the younger man nearly took his head off with his annoyance over the one thing he had to do. "So, what did I do to piss you off?"

"It's what you didn't do." Greg struggled to pull his knees closer to his chest, feeling his breathing becoming constricted as the baby was pressed up against his diaphragm. "We bumped into your ex at the store. Apparently I'm Todd your roommate who doesn't know anything about you or your baby. But I should be relieved because you're moving out to a place of your own and she's hoping she can get her foot in the door and shack up with you, so you can be one perfect little family."

"Greg..." He slid closer to his side. "The woman's an idiot. She doesn't even know the name of her own baby."

"Oh she got that right this time."

"So, that doesn't mean anythin'. I haven't seen her face to face in months. She sent me a text on Sadie's birthday, callin' her Sophie again. She keeps sayin' she wants to arrange a date when she could actually meet her daughter, but she always forgets about it. Why would you listen to anythin' she says about our life?"

"Because you didn't tell her." Greg pushed the man's hand away from his knee. "According to her, I'm nothing to you or Sadie. I don't even exist as a part of your life. She's the mother of your child and I'm nothing."

"But you do exist."

"You don't get it." He gave out a heavy sigh. "This is the one part of being with a closet gay man that I seriously hate. Because it's not even you who's in the closet anymore, it's me. Every time your old life creeps up on you, I'm shoved off into that closet where no one can see me or even know that I exist."

"Greg, all of our friends know about us. I told my Mama, my sisters and my brother is arrivin' today to meet you for the first time." He reminded him. "I've told everyone that's important to me."

"Which means nothing if Sadie's own mother has no idea I exist. Will her school teachers know about me or her friends when they come round for play dates or will I be shoved off into the closet then too?"

"I don't even know what I'm supposed to say to that." Nick confessed, blocking him from standing up with his arm. "I don't shove you in the closet. When have I ever shoved you in the closet? I just haven't told one person. I think I've accomplished a lot this past year. I haven't been with a man in sixteen years because I thought my father would find out and shove me back in a mental institute for the rest of my life. You're the first man I've been with completely. This time last year, I was havin' panic attacks just thinkin' about being with you. Now I'm movin' into our own house with you and you're still goin' on at me that I'm not movin' fast enough for you. It's one person, Greg. Not even an important person."

"You have no idea what this feels like." Greg tilted his head back against the wall behind him. "I feel like I've lost a part of who I am by being with you. I've lost even more of myself by being pregnant with your baby and now I feel like I don't even exist in your life or in Sadie's."

"Now you're just being stupid." Nick put it bluntly, gently brushing his thumb through a tear on his partner's cheek. "For the smartest guy I've ever dated, you're really not that bright. I love you more than anythin'. You exist to me. You're everythin' to me. I know this is just part of the crazy hormonal thing that you're not used to yet, but you know that you are my world. I adore you." He leant forwards, stealing a kiss from his pouty lips. "I'll tell her if you want me to, but it probably won't get through that thick skull of hers for a few months."

Greg sniffled back his tears, wiping the back of his hand across his eyes. "You shouldn't talk about her like that. She's Sadie's Mom. Even if she's not a very good one, she's still the only Mom she's got. Do you want her to grow up hearing you talk about her Mom like that?"

"No, but you're the only Papa she's got. And I care about your feelin's not hers." Nick combed his fingers back through his partner's hair, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "I don't ever want you to feel as though you don't exist in my life because you're the most important part of my life." He slid his arms around Greg's chest, pulling him tightly into his arms. He felt Greg's tears against his neck after a while, keeping him close to try and comfort him. "You can take Sadie to school, help her with her homework, organise her birthday parties, play dates. She'll tell everyone about her amazin' Papa, because you'll be the most important person in her world too. Grace doesn't even exist to Sadie at the moment. She won't even give her daughter the time of day, so she's goin' to know you long before she even knows who her mother is."

"I'm sorry." Greg pulled back slightly, brushing his hand across the tear streaks on his face. He breathed in a deep breath, giving the man an embarrassed smile. "I didn't think it would hit me this hard. I can't control it."

"This is nothin'. Your freak out over the ice machine and the air con back at the hotel was much worse. You threw the ice bucket at me." He reminded him, smiling as the adorable man hid his face against his shoulder. "It's all part of the pregnancy, baby. It's probably hittin' you harder because you never exactly show your emotions."

"I do."

"Nuh uh," His boyfriend disagreed, still holding him tightly in his arms. "You weren't exactly a hugger before me. You used to pull away when I tried to hug you or hold you at night. I don't think I've really ever seen you cry or get really angry before we started datin'. You've been doin' more things for Sadie since you got pregnant too. You wouldn't go near her before." He smiled against his hairline, gently smoothing his hand up and down his back. "This is only the second trimester. Your Mom said it gets much worse durin' the third trimester."

"Great." He titled his head back against the wall, breathing in a deep breath. "You can go, I'll be down in a few minutes. If my Mom asks, just tell her I had to throw up."

"You want me to lie to your mother?"

"If you want us to work out, you're going to have to learn how to lie to my mother, Tex." He used the older man's shoulder to pull himself to his feet, making his way through to the bathroom to wash his face. He flinched as Nick slid his hands around his waist, giving him another one of his famous hugs.

He wrapped his arm tightly around the younger man's chest, pressing a kiss to the side of his head. "You're really important to me, you know that? If you'd ever let me," He lifted Greg's hand from his side, brushing his thumb across the back of his partner's fingers. "I wonna marry you someday, so everyone can see how important you are to me."

Greg glanced up at his partner's reflection, giving him a slight smile. He still didn't want to get married or go through the hassle of a big wedding, but he never got tired of hearing the constant proposals from the man he adored. He figured after about fifty proposals he'd finally give in, hoping it would be at least ten years into the future before that happened to give him some time to prepare.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading. Happy Easter!** **Might have another chapter up this weekend.**

 **~ Holly**


	11. Chapter 11 - Changing the Rules

**Chapter Eleven - Changing the Rules**

Pushing the sofa against the opposite wall, Nick gave out a heavy breath of relief, before he turned to look at the man behind him for approval. His partner examined the sofa in the different light for a moment, before he shook his head slightly. "No, it looked better against the other wall. If we have it there then we can put your TV over there, it shouldn't get any glare from the window then." Greg gave the man a guilty smile, watching him struggling to move the sofa to the other side of the room. The sofa in question was Nick's large leather one from his old place. It was a lot larger than his sofa from his apartment and leather, making it twice as heavy. "If you'd let me help, this could go a lot quicker."

"Nope... I got it." The man took a little longer, but he managed to twist the sofa around and push it up against the wall. He brushed down the carpet to make sure it hadn't left any dents so far, turning to watch the younger man inspecting it in the old position. "C'mon Greg, you either like it there or you don't. Don't make me squirm."

"It looks okay." He shrugged his shoulders, motioning towards the cabinet that the television was sat on. "You can put that over there. Then we can put your shelving thing on this side with your DVD's and things on it. Unless you still want to put it in the other room."

"No, we can put it there."

"Are you going to make any decisions for this house? Or are you just going to let me do it all?"

"I've made decisions." Nick defended himself. "I've decided that I'm goin' to go along with everythin' that you want." He gave him a grin. "All I want is to make you happy, baby."

"If you really want to make me happy then you can help, rather with agreeing with me all the time."

He reached for Greg's hand, gently pulling him towards the sofa. "We finally got rid of your folks. The baby's asleep and you'd rather watch me move furniture our first night in this house, rather than kiss me in our new house."

"Well your jeans are kinda tight, so watching you move furniture is my own little treat." He smiled back at him, dropping to the sofa beside him. He felt the leather sofa beneath him squeaking as his partner wrapped his arms tightly around him, sealing their lips together for a passionate kiss. He gave the sofa a little bounce once they broke the kiss, realising how soft it was compared to his own. "We shoulda got this thing out of storage weeks ago. Is your mattress better than mine too?"

"I don't know. I haven't slept on it in a year." He realised, smiling as he held the younger man closer. "I'm kissin' you and you're still thinkin' about furniture."

"I'm sorry, I've never exactly done this before. When I moved in my apartment, my Dad helped unpack everything and my Mom organised things into the right places and I kept them that way. With you, we have to actually decide where to put things together and how to organise the house. But you're just agreeing with everything I want. My Nana said moving in together can make or break a relationship. I could decide to put something in a place that you don't like and then you'd leave me."

"I would never leave you over a piece of furniture." Nick assured him with a smile, resting his head beside Greg's against the leather. "I stayed in your tiny apartment with you without a single item from my own home, because I felt safe with you. All I want is you. You're more important to me than material things. And you forget that I've already lived with you. I already know all your qualities, habits and I love you because of them. If you want, I think my mattress is still in the hallway upstairs if you wanted to test it out."

"It's probably got loads of girl cooties though, right?"

Nick chuckled softly, shaking his head as he looked into his partner's eyes. "I never slept with anyone in my bed. My Mama bought me that bed when I got my first place. I've only ever been on that mattress by myself. The first girl I ever had on that bed was Sadie when she came home from the hospital."

"I think she was the first girl on my bed too." Greg swivelled himself around, putting his back against the warmth of the older man's chest. He tilted his head back against his shoulder, feeling completely relaxed in their new home already. "When I was little, I always used to creep down the stairs at night after my parents had put me to bed. I'd always see them like this in the front room." He tilted his head further back, looking into his partner's eyes. "Is it weird that this reminds me of home?"

"No, that's a good thing. This is our home, where we'll build our own family memories."

"I still can't believe this is ours. We've been here less than a day and I'm still worried that the realtor or the previous owners are gonna come in here and take it all away from us."

"It's ours." Nick slid his hand into Greg's, weaving their fingers together. "Speakin' of, you ready to bunk down for our first night in this house? Did your Mom ever find the bed sheets in any of those boxes?"

"Yeah, she put it by the doorway in our room, but Dad didn't have time to put the bed together after he fixed Sadie's crib together. So it looks like we're flooring it tonight."

"Can you still get down there in your condition?" Nick playfully teased him, pressing his lips to the side of his head. "We shoulda made the beds a priority today. At least we've got Sadie's room all set up and all the curtains up around the place."

"Did you manage to get hold of your brother?" Greg suddenly remembered.

"Yeah, his delayed flight gets in tomorrow mornin'. He sounded pretty pissed about it. I'll pick him up from the airport in the mornin', but I gotta take him straight to one of his meetin's that he was supposed to have this afternoon. He said he'd probably be free by the afternoon to meet you. Then I gotta go to work at eight. Will you be okay with Sadie by yourself in this new house?"

"I think we can manage." He reached for Nick's hand, sliding it towards the side of his stomach. "Can you feel that?" He moved it a little closer to his navel as the baby switched to the other foot, smiling up at the older man as he felt the kick of his baby for the first time. "You can feel it."

"I can." The older man grinned widely, slipping his hand beneath Greg's t-shirt to feel it through his bare skin. He smiled as his baby continued to kick at the surface of the younger man's stomach, amazed that he could feel the soft patter against his palm. "You have a real baby in yah belly now." He pressed his lips to the side of Greg's head, closing his eyes as he continued to feel the soft kicks of his new baby. "Our little love bug."

"Love bug?" Greg cocked an eyebrow in his direction.

"Well it's better than parasite. Have you had any thoughts on names yet?"

"I have to come with that?" Greg titled his head back against his shoulder, watching his eyes fluttering open. "I had to grow the baby. I think you can come up with a name at least."

"Okay," Nick slid his arms around his partner's waist, trying to think of some names he liked. "I've got some ideas. For a boy, we could name him Thomas. Charles. Robert."

"Yeah if you want him to be bullied his entire life." Greg chuckled softly. "He needs a cool name like James. Oscar. Noah or even Wight. Wight Sanders Stokes. Has a nice ring to it, right?" He tilted his head back to look into the older man's eyes. "Or Stokes then Sanders. Or did you just want the one surname."

"Well, I kinda want them both to have the same surname. So they both feel like they belong." He brushed his hand across Greg's side. "So we can be a real family. If Sadie and I are Stokes, while you and the baby are Sanders, it'll kinda feel like we're divided. We can all be Stokes or we can all be Sanders. What do you want?" He lifted Greg's hand from his side, weaving their fingers tightly together. "Do you want my name or yours? I don't mind either way."

"Oh my god, Nick. Do you ever stop with the proposals?" He giggled softly, playfully elbowing him in the side. "You're never going to drop it are you?"

"Tell me that you'll never marry me, then I might."

"I can't do that." Greg grinned round at him, gently brushing his thumb across the man's chin.

"Why not?" Nick smiled, seeing hope for their future.

"I don't know. Because I love you." He shrugged, keeping his eyes fixated on Nick's. "I guess I'm just keeping my options open at the moment. I see a future with you. What about girls names? It could still be a girl." He quickly changed the subject. "I've always liked the name Piper."

"Piper?" Nick didn't sound too sure about naming his second daughter, Piper. "I don't really like the sound of that. I was thinkin' somethin' more girly like Jade. Jessie. Amy."

"Aww, Nicky wants a little princess." He teased the man behind him. "You don't fancy another little country girl name?"

"Sadie isn't a country girl name."

"Sorta is, but I love her name. Just like I love your name." He struggled to sit up, pressing a kiss to his partner's lips. "I gotta pee again." He pushed himself to his feet, rubbing his spine as he got up. "I seriously can't wait for this baby to be out. I don't know why anyone would ever want to do this more than once. Your mother is insane for having seven kids."

"You wouldn't have me if she didn't." He pointed out to him, climbing to his feet to adjust the television while Greg was away. He moved it to where Greg suggested, returning to his spot on the sofa to make sure it was in a comfortable position. He glanced towards the baby monitor he had set on the boxes against the wall, hearing crying coming through the monitor. She started out with a few delicate whimpers, before she burst into full blown tears. "I got her." He stopped Greg at the foot of the stairs, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "It's probably her diaper."

"Good luck. She hasn't pooped all day." Greg grinned back at him, returning to his spot on the sofa. He pulled one of Nick's boxes towards him, unwrapping the newspaper from a trophy. He brushed his thumb across the dusty plaque, smiling as it revealed 'Nicholas Stokes, First Place'. It didn't say what he got first place for, but by the year he must have been about ten years old at the time. He set it on the sofa beside him, unravelling another one just like it, but it was for second place when he was nine years old. He found several little league trophies, along with the collection of his family photos from his old living room wall.

He dusted them with the sleeve of his sweatshirt, taking a moment to examine each one. He picked out little Nick from each of the old family photos, before he moved onto the next.

"She fell asleep while I was changin' her. She didn't even wake up as I put her back in her crib." Nick reported, making his way down the stairs. He crashed against the sofa beside, Greg, putting his arm around the younger man's waist. "That's my Grandma." He pointed to the woman in the back of the photo that his partner was holding onto. "There's Billy, my brother and that's Gwen and Kayla either side of me."

"That's you?" Greg pointed towards the chubby little kid in the middle. "You're adorable. Sadie definitely has your face. She's gonna look just like you. Maybe not the chubbiness." He teased him, flinching back as his partner playfully jabbed him in the side.

"It was my Grandma's fault. She made cookies practically every other day. She always gave me second helpings of desert and stuff too. Before she moved in with us, I was skinny. You can see the proof in the photos." He reached into the box, unwrapping a few more to try and prove it. "Ah, see." He pointed out a toddler version of himself at a Christmas party. "She wasn't around then to force feed me all the snacks and crap that made me fat."

"I believe you. You were in little league?" He picked up the picture of the little league team from beside him. "Is that one you?" He could vaguely recognise his boyfriend's eyes in the child in front. He was a lot shorter than the kids around him, but he had that same lost boy look in his soulful eyes.

"Yep, see I'm thin again." He pointed out to him, playfully tickling his sides again. "I love baseball. I got into college on a baseball scholarship. Not all of us had brains to fall back on like you." He pressed a kiss to the side of his boyfriend's head, looking at the picture in his hands. "I haven't played baseball since I was still in school."

"I thought you were more of a football jock." He confessed, dusting off the new picture with his sleeve. "Do you miss it?"

"I like to watch football, but I've never really played it. And yeah, I guess I miss it. I'm kinda hopin' that Sadie might play or this one." He placed his hand on the younger man's stomach. "It was somethin' my Dad and I had when I was younger. I remember him teachin' me how to throw a ball. How to hold the bat and get the best distance on a hit."

"I thought you didn't have any happy memories of your father?" He continued to pry, feeling as though he was getting to know him a little more. It wasn't often that fellow colleagues shared such intimate details about their life and their dating life had been a little nonexistent lately from all the chaos.

"I have some." Nick reached into the box, unwrapping another photo. "He wasn't always... like that. He never really seemed cruel until I got older. I sorta blamed myself for the way he became. I wasn't exactly the son he wanted. I felt like it was my own fault that he turned against me."

"That's bull. If there's one thing I've learned from my shrink, it's to place the blame where it belongs. He alone is responsible for his actions, not you. They shift the blame onto you to make you deal with their emotions as well as your own. Tell me honestly, if Sadie doesn't turn out to be the perfect daughter that you pictured in your head when she was just a lump that slept and filled her diapers, is she gonna blame herself when you turn against her for just being who she was meant to be? That's crap and you know it." Greg unravelled some newspaper from another photo, surprised to see a picture of the whole team from the lab. He brushed his thumb across the man beside him, realising that Nick was looking at him rather than whoever had taken the picture. "How long ago was this?"

"That... was the day you got prompted to field CSI. The day you passed." Nick remembered, lifting it from his hands. "About a year and a half ago, I think. Catherine took that picture. She gave me a copy."

"I don't have any pictures of you guys."

"You never had any pictures, if I recall. Your place didn't have a single family photo in it." He pointed out to him. "We can't display my pictures if we don't have any of your folks. I don't even have any framed photos of Sadie yet."

"My Nana said we should go to one of those professional photographers to get some family photos done for the walls. Like a big blown up one of the four of us. In chrome colours or something."

"Four?" Nick gave him a curious look.

"You, me, Sadie and the baby." He giggled softly, placing his hand over his stomach. "We'll have to wait a while obviously, but it could be kinda cool. We get to be the cheesy happy family for about five minutes, before we're back to all of this." He brushed his thumb across Nick in the photo, feeling those familiar butterflies in his stomach. "Would you have picked me? If you had been out all along. Don't just say yes to keep me sweet. In all honesty, would you have picked me to date if I hadn't of kissed you in the locker room?"

"I... don't know." The man confessed, looking at the old him before he was out and in love. He didn't even recognise himself in the picture anymore. That man felt so distance to himself, it didn't even feel right to display the photo anymore. "It's hard to tell, because I'm not the same man I am in that photo. I think we always had a connection. You and I were always closer than I was with Warrick, but I just thought that we were really good friends."

"C'mon, you can't tell me that you holding everything back stopped you from having feelings for people around you. I stopped myself from doing anything with my college roommate because he was straight and we were friends, but I could never stop the feelings I had for him. You must have felt something."

"I'm tellin' you, I didn't feel anythin'. Not for any guys or the women I was with. I told you, I was emotionally numb in relationships. You made me feel again. I broke down and cried in your apartment, because you allowed me to be able to feel somethin' again." He reminded the younger man. "I think if I was out all along, I still would have had a thing for you. It's the puppy dog eyes that get me the most." He cupped his partner's chin in his hand, pressing a kiss to his lips. "Maybe I did have a thing for you and I didn't even know it. I only felt it when your lips touched mine."

"You're so cheesy." Greg playfully tapped his leg, pushing himself to his feet. "C'mon, that beds not gonna make itself and it's already past midnight." He reached out for his partner's hand, watching him setting aside the photos, before he accepted Greg's hand to help him up. "Are you gonna be able to sleep tonight with this mess down here?"

"Yeah." Nick glanced around at the boxes they had yet to get to. "It'll be fine until tomorrow. I'm gonna have to check the place is all locked up first though." He sealed a quick kiss to his partner's lips, leaving him to collect up their coffee mugs and dinner plates, while he checked the place was sealed up and secure. He knew his biggest challenge was going to be learning how to relax in a new house. He had a need for controlling his environment to feel safe and his anxiety had started to peek a little since Greg's attack.

Nick checked the front door first, giving it a gentle tug to make sure it was secure. He made his way through to the front room to check the windows, carrying on through to the kitchen. Greg had grown used to his routine, so he stayed out of his way as Nick bolted the back door and checked on the windows upstairs.

When he finally felt at ease that everything was safe and secure, he joined his partner in their new bedroom, smiling as he saw the younger man crashed out on his mattress. The bed frame wasn't set up yet, he had just knocked over the mattress onto the floor, giving himself something to lie on while he waited.

"I think we should give your mattress a proper test, before we decide which one is staying in our room." Greg propped himself up, reaching his hand out for his partner. He pulled him on top of him rather suddenly, sending the older man toppling on top of him. "I think Bobby's was the softest bed I've ever slept in."

"Not with him in it I hope." Nick gave him a slight smile, gasping a breath as the younger man suddenly rolled their bodies, pinning him between the mattress and his warm body. "Do you think you'll still be able to do that when you're full term?" He queried, feeling the baby pressing into his own pelvis now that Greg's weight was on top of him.

"Probably not." He grinned, placing his hands either side of Nick's head. "I bet I can still make you squirm though."

"I won't argue with that one." The Texan lifted his hips, feeling a familiar spasm in his legs from the intimate touch.

"Don't you think Bobby's bed was softer though?" He got back to his original point. "It felt like sleeping on a cloud. My one you can feel the mattress springs and I'm pretty sure your one has dents in it from your sleeping companions. I'm sure his was like double the size of this one too."

"Why don't you go live with Bobby then if his beds so great?" He playfully stuck his tongue out at Greg. "And I told you, no one has ever slept on this mattress but me. You can go and grab my kit and spotlight the whole thing if you don't believe me. You'll only find my DNA on this bed." Nick hooked his arm around Greg, trying to use the same technique he had to reverse their positions again. "Do you think Bobby will make your eyes roll back into your head like I can?"

"He could." He liked the tone of jealously in the older man's voice, arching his chest off the mattress as Nick's hand slid south beneath his jeans. "I bet he can do wonders with his mouth."

Without any hesitation, Nick brought his mouth to the younger man's neck, gently sucking it as he loosened the man's jeans. He pushed his t-shirt up his chest to kiss a trail towards his stomach, pausing for just a moment as he contemplated how to go about the next part. He hadn't done it in nearly sixteen years. He had avoided it with Greg in case it caused a panic attack and the fact that Greg hadn't done it with him, so he had no idea if he even liked it.

Nick slid his fingers into the waistband of Greg's boxers, slipping them down past his thighs. He nestled himself between his thighs, hearing the most delicate whimper coming from his partner's lips, egging him on.

He held his hips in place to stop him from getting too eager, taking him completely in his mouth for the first time. He tried to remember what Greg said about just doing what he liked, but he didn't even know what that was anymore.

Greg didn't care though, he was in heaven.

He gripped his hands into the mattress either side of him, curling his toes as he tried to hold on for just a little bit longer. He felt the familiar quakes in his bones, breathing softly to try and calm himself, but it was too intense to ignore.

"Nicky, stop." He reached for his shoulders. "I can't... hold... I'm gonna..."

Nick refused to let go though, pushing Greg's hands away to finish the job he had started. He wasn't completely ready for the sudden gush in his throat, but he swallowed every last drop, before he pulled away to seal a kiss to his whimpering mouth.

When he tasted the saltiness on his boyfriend's tongue, Greg pushed him back slightly, giving him a curious look. "You swallowed?"

"Was I not meant to? Have the rules changed since the last time I was gay?" He joked, laying himself down beside his partner. He licked his lips, giving Greg a wide smile. "What? Was it bad? I haven't done that in years. Was it okay?"

"Oh, yeah... it was more than... okay." The younger man dragged it out, giggling softly as he looked into the older man's eyes. "It was amazing. I just can't believe you swallowed. Usually guys are darting for the trash can or the toilet before I've even finished."

"It's just a part of you. I love every inch of you, bodily fluids included." He sealed another kiss to his lips, bringing their bodies closer together. "So, what's the verdict? Is this mattress a keeper or do we go for your one?" He motioned towards it against the opposite wall.

"I think it might require a few more tests."

"Is that right?" He softly bit his partner's lip, pulling him in for a kiss. "Can we find some covers first? It's freezin' up here."

"Box... by the door." Greg released his grip on the man's arm, pointing him towards it. He managed to pull his jeans off the rest of the way, lifting his t-shirt off. He caught the sheet Nick tossed in his direction, crawling toward the edge of the mattress to tuck it in. He grabbed a pillow, slipping it beneath his head as his now naked boyfriend climbed on top with the cloud of covers falling down behind him. "You're like an angel."

"If I'm an angel then you must be heaven." The Texan grinned widely, separating the younger man's thighs as he slid between them. He felt the baby pressed against his own stomach again, wishing for just a moment that he could be the one to carry their child. He had to settle for holding him tight enough that he could almost feel every movement as though it was inside of him.

He fell head over heels in love with the younger man again, even more excited to meet the little life they had created.

"It's in a nice location." Billy climbed out of his brother's truck, looking up at the house in front of them. It was a lot smaller than he expected, but it was exactly the kind of place he pictured for his brother. "It's got four bedrooms?"

"Yeah. Our room, two for the kids and a guest bedroom for Greg's folks." Nick led the way to the front door, sticking the key in the lock. "Be nice." He gave his older brother a quick warning, knowing what he was like. He unlocked the door, ushering the man inside. "Greg?" He noticed some more things had been unpacked while he was out, along with a few toys left out that Sadie had been playing with. "Two front rooms." He pointed them out to his brother, leading him through to the kitchen. "We're gonna turn one into a playroom and a office, while we keep the other one as the family room."

"Office and a playroom, together?" Billy gritted his teeth together, joining him in the kitchen. "You'll never get any peace from them."

"The office is for Greg and it was his idea." He spotted the younger man in question out in the garden with his mother, holding Sadie in his arms as his mother gave him some ideas of what to do with the space they had outside. "His mother's here, so be extra nice." Nick warned his brother again, leading him out the back door. "Hey, Greg. This is my brother, Billy." He gently lifted his daughter from the younger man's arms, transferring her to his own.

"Hi, Greg. It's nice to finally meet you." Billy stepped forwards to shake his hand, surprised that the man his brother was dating wasn't anything like he pictured. He couldn't see a tattoo or a piercing in sight. He was younger than him and he didn't have that flamboyant gay vibe that he pictured either. He was actually pretty normal looking compared to the picture he had built up in his head.

"And this is Greg's Mom, Jean Sanders." Nick motioned towards the woman beside him, surprised to see Greg so shy.

"Mrs Sanders, you're a little young to have a grown son aren't you?" Billy immediately resorted to flattering her, feeling as though he was meeting the in laws for the first time. Only she seemed a lot nicer than his own mother in law.

"Oh, thank you." Jean found herself blushing, taking the man's hand as he offered it. She finally felt that Texan charm, weak in the knees thing that her son had been describing all these months to her. "I can definitely see the family resemblance. You and your brother could be twins. Billy is that short for..."

"William." The man nodded. "It's tradition in my family to name your first son after your father. I think I'm the sixth William in my family. I've gone by Billy since I was about four though. Nicky was lucky enough to be named after our maternal grandfather. There's only two Nicholas' in our family."

"They're both lovely names. Greg's the first in our family. He's actually the first boy from my side in a long time. My grandparents and great grandparents all had girls from my mother's side."

"Do you two need a minute?" Greg finally spoke, playfully elbowing his mother beside him. "Are you staying for dinner, Billy? Nick has to rush out for work in a couple of hours, but we could whip something up before then if you want."

"Alright." Billy nodded, feeling ashamed that he even tried to judge the kind of man his brother would go out with. "As long as I'm not imposin'. Is this the lovely little Sadie you've been hidin' away all this time?" He finally turned his attention towards the baby in his brother's arms. "She's still so small. I thought you said she was one."

"She is. She's just started walkin'. Her doc says she's right on her targets considerin' her small birth weight. Do you wonna hold her?"

"To hold my youngest niece? Yeah." The man stepped forwards, carefully lifting her out of his brother's arms. "I gotta admit it. I never thought you would have kids. You're still the baby back home. I still picture you as that chubby little Nicky with that stuffed Scotty dog thing you used to carry around."

"You had a stuffed Scotty dog?" Jean smiled at the blushing man. "Aww, Greg had a stuffed bunny until he was twelve. He could never sleep without... oh what do you call him?" She looked at her son beside her, remembering, "Mr Flops. That was it. I think he's still up in your old room somewhere. He lost him once out the window in the car. Your father had to dart through freeway traffic to get him back for you to stop you from crying."

"Thanks for that, Mom." He spoke softly, turning towards the house before she embarrassed him anymore. "Do you want anything to drink, Billy?"

"Waters fine, thanks." He called after him, watching Greg's mother quickly following him into the house. "She seems nice." Billy smiled at his brother. "Not even married yet and you have to put up with the mother in law. Movin' a little fast aren't you? Baby on the way, new house."

"I figured that I've waited long enough to get what I want." Nick stuffed his hands into his pockets, giving his brother a smile. "You didn't exactly wait. You bought your first house right out of college with your Highschool sweetheart and started havin' kids before you had a steady job. You had three kids before you married her too."

"She kept turnin' me down." The man defended himself, smiling at Sadie as she continued to study his face. "She looks just like you, especially around the eyes. She got any teeth yet?"

"Yeah, she's had her bottom two teeth since she was eight months old. She got her top two around ten months. I can see a few comin' in on her gums beside them, but they've never really given her any trouble lately."

"Teethin' was always a nightmare with my lot. I've had three of them in braces since. If you're lucky she'll take after you and get perfect straight teeth. She's definitely quiet like you." He patted her on the back, giving her another smile, before he handed her back to her father. "How far along did you say Greg was? He's not exactly showing for the second trimester."

"Well he is and he'll probably take that as a compliment. I'm kinda jealous of him bein' able to go through somethin' like this."

"I'm not." The man shivered at the thought. "Go through all of that, no way. Women are tough. You don't know real pain until you've seen childbirth. And I saw eight of them. That woman's insane for ever wantin' to sleep with me again after any of them."

"Kids are worth it all though." Nick held onto Sadie tightly, looking into her eyes as she sucked her fingers. "You know that or you wouldn't have agreed to havin' each of those kids of yours." He grinned at his brother, turning back for the house. "You want the grand tour of the place? It's not quite as big as your place. We don't have a pool house or anythin', but we're just startin' to settle in."

"I noticed." Billy motioned towards the boxes piled up against the wall. "I think it took us about four months to finally unpack everythin' on our last move. Then the wife wanted to start decoratin', so we had to move the kids in with each other again while we painted. I think we finally decorated the entire house after a year then she wanted to change things around in the kitchen. We've redone the kitchen four times since we've lived there and the carpets are bein' replaced again next week. The woman is never happy."

"Isn't she a designer?" Nick remembered, giving his brother a smile. "She has to keep up with the latest styles."

"She's costin' me a fortune with her home renovations every couple of months. She's now sayin' that the conservatory we got last year is too small, so that's gonna be taken down to be rebuilt bigger again." Billy examined the kitchen as they made their way through it again, surprised that it was so nice looking for a new house. "Microwave, grill and oven?" He made his way over to it. "The wife's been buggin' me for one of these to be installed. She wanted one of those big AGA things like Mama's got at the ranch, but then she saw one of these round her friend's house and she fell in love."

"We haven't had the chance to use it yet. Greg's Mom gave it good clean with that oven cleaner stuff yesterday, so it probably still stinks of it. The fridge freezer does ice too." He motioned towards it, smiling at his boyfriend as he emerged from the other room. "There's a utility room too. It's kinda cramped, but it's all hooked up for a washer and dryer as soon as we get them."

"You want them?" His brother turned around, looking at the two of them over the other side of the island. "Call it a bonus Christmas present to make up for all the other ones."

"We..." Nick double checked with the man beside him, before he looked at his brother. "Couldn't accept that."

"C'mon, you have a baby, another one on the way." Billy pointed to the baby in his brother's arms. "How are you gonna get by without a washin' machine? Me and my wife had that thing goin' everyday when they were babies. My kids went through whole drawers of clothes in just a few days at that age. I'll just buy you one then. A gift to make up for being a bad brother. I insist. It'll break my heart if you refuse." The man smiled at the younger man beside his brother, adding, "We'll call it an early weddin' gift too."

Greg gently elbowed the man beside him, feeling as though it would be rude if they refused it this time.

"Thank you." Nick spoke softly, handing the baby over to Greg so he had his arms free to hug his brother. He hadn't hugged him since he was about fourteen years old, but his brother didn't push him away.

This definitely wasn't the relationship he pictured with his brother after he came out to him. But then again, he didn't exactly picture the kind of romantic relationship that he had with Greg now.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! Enjoy the rest of your week.**

 **~ Holly**


	12. Chapter 12 - Together

**Chapter Twelve - Together**

"Nick is a good person. I feel like I can trust him completely. I can open up to him. He opens up to me. He's practically everything I ever wanted." Greg tilted his head back against his shrink's sofa, placing his hands on the protruding bump in his stomach. "But I'm worried about how this next step is going to change us. I don't want to be trapped at home with a baby, never being able to see him. I adore Sadie, but I only ever spend a few hours alone with her at a time. And I miss him enough right now. He's back at work and I've been forced into leave. I think the last time I saw him for more than a minute was three days ago for dinner, before he rushed out to work again."

"Have you brought any of this up with your partner?" Ms Langley queried, getting a slight nod out of him. "Out loud?" She smiled in his direction. "If he's as open as you say he is, why do you feel you can't talk to him about something as important as a baby?"

"I brought it up a few times and he seems to think that I will be able to cope, just because he could. I don't think he really knows me that well at all. Even my mother knows I'm immature and a little bit selfish. He had sisters with baby's growing up. Sadie is the first baby I've ever known and she's great. When Sadie came along, Nick dropped everything else in his schedule to try and be there for her every day in the hospital. I don't think I could do that. I need sleep, regular meals, air. I couldn't sit there for hours on end for a baby, which is why he's so great. Before she was even out of hospital, he spent every waking moment with her. He had some help from our friend, Catherine once she was out, but it was still solely him doing everything for her. I don't know if I can do that for a baby."

"Have you spoken to him about he handled becoming a father when Sadie was in the hospital?"

"It's kind of a touchy subject." Greg spoke softly, sitting forwards as he started to get a cramp. He placed his hands on his sides, leaning a little further forwards as the cramp continued to give him hell. "After Sadie was born, she was premature so she was in the special unit of the hospital for a while. Her Mom abandoned her then the woman tried to put her up for adoption by taking Nick's name off the birth certificate. He proved that she was his and gained full custody, but then he had to change his whole life to fit around the baby. The mother came back a while again saying she wanted to get back with him. She wanted the baby back, but she never keeps a date or even acknowledges the fact that a baby is dependent on the people around them for everything. I saw her the other day and she still has this illusion that her perfect family is waiting just over the hill for her."

"Your partner hasn't told her that he's with you?"

Greg shook his head, rubbing his side to try and ease the pain of the cramp. "No, that's another touchy subject. He's only recently started coming out to people. He came out to his entire family. Not exactly the way I wanted him to do it, but at least now they know. His mother's probably plotting my death, but at least I actually exist now."

"They're not comfortable with your relationship?"

"Nope." He glanced at the clock, realising he had less than a minute left of his session, but he still had so much more that he wanted to say. He hadn't been able to speak to the person in question for the past three days, so he had a lot that he wanted to get off his chest and a one hour session a week wasn't enough. "His Mom is super religious and his Dad is super traditional. When he first found out that Nick was gay about sixteen years ago, he had him locked up in a mental hospital to try and change him. I guess meeting the parents is completely out of the question there. Which is a shame, because I don't have a big family like he does and I think it makes him feel kinda lonely. If we were ever to get married, he thinks that no one would be on his side." He blurted it all out, talking a mile a minute, not even sure she could keep up with her note taking. "But he's out to his friends, colleague friends, not his friends from his old life. It was kind of by accident, because they found out without being told, but he doesn't seem so embarrassed or ashamed of them knowing anymore."

"But he hasn't told his friends outside of work?"

"He hasn't spoken to them in nearly three years, so I'm not that bothered about it." Greg shrugged his shoulders, watching her glancing at her watch. "I'm sorry to lay all that on you right at the end."

"That's what I'm here for." She gave him a reassuring smile. "I wish you would talk this much at the beginning of the session, so we can discuss it a little more. But it'll give us something to talk about next time. Have you reconsidered going to group at the end of the week? You can bring your partner along with you."

Greg shook his head, circling his arms around his stomach. "I get enough odd looks from my new neighbours. I think I might consider it after the baby is born. That's another thing that Nick doesn't understand. He'll never go out without styling his hair or putting on a clean crisp shirt. But he doesn't understand why I would feel a little self conscious about this." He motioned towards his increasing stomach. "Maybe more than a little."

"Did you think that he doesn't understand because he loves you unconditionally?" She knew he wasn't used to that type of relationship from what he had told her during the past few weeks. "As I've said to you before, you should discuss these things with your partner so he can understand where you're coming from. I feel that you have a lot more trust for him then you've had in your past relationships, so you can tell him anything you want. I would love to meet him, but what you've told me about his mistrust of therapists, I don't think he would open up in this environment."

"You're right there." Greg reached for his jacket beside him, struggling to put it on. He smiled as the woman immediately jumped up, giving him some help. He thanked her for listening to him again, before he made his way out of the office. He found his mother outside of the car, holding Sadie in her arms as they watched the cars driving by.

"Hi, sweetie." Jean waved to him, adjusting Sadie in her arms. "So, did she solve all your problems?" She grinned at him, still sceptical about the professional help angle of her son's life. He wasn't planning on telling her, but she was being so nosy about where he was going today that she insisted on driving him there to find out what it was. He didn't tell her why or what he talked about, just the fact that he was seeing a shrink on a weekly basis to sort out his head.

"It doesn't work like that. C'mon, I wonna get home. Nick will be home in a few minutes." He ushered her back to the car, eager to get home before he did. He had a mountain of laundry to sort through and a kitchen to clean up, before he started cooking dinner for their one year anniversary. He was going by the day that Nick first moved in with him, knowing Nick had no idea it was coming up as he had been too busy at the lab to even notice the days.

As soon as they got back home, Greg sighed softly as he saw Nick's truck already outside, putting his plans out the window. He left his mother to get the baby out of the car, hurrying inside to find him. He was hoping for a hug, but he found the man's shoes randomly kicked off in the hallway, making him worry as it was completely unlike, Nick.

"Nick?" He followed the trail through to the kitchen, finding the Texan hard at work in the kitchen. "What are you doing?"

"You're home early." Nick ditched the carrot he had in his hands, wrapping an arm around his partner's waist. "I'm makin' you dinner." He pressed his lips to Greg's, looking around for the baby. "Where's Sadie?"

"In the car."

"You left her in the car alone?" Nick gave him a surprised look.

"No, my Mom's with her. Thanks for the trust." He smirked, grabbing a carrot stick off the chopping board to pop into his mouth. "So, what's the occasion?" Greg walked around the kitchen, seeing a chicken in the oven, vegetables being prepared on the side and a card that was addressed to him in Nick's hand writing.

"One year anniversary." The Texan passed the test, putting his arms around the younger man's waist from behind him. "Did you think I would forget?" He pressed a kiss to his neck, seeing a smile spreading across Greg's lips. "I was gonna go by our first kiss, but I think I was still too in denial then to actually count it as the beginnin'. So I've gone by the day that you convinced me to stay and start my life with you. The day Sadie and I moved in with you."

Greg turned in his arms, sealing their lips together for a brief moment, before his mother made it into the house. "My Mom's not staying. She just brought over the last of my stuff we left at her house. Why are your shoes out in the hall?"

"I was in a rush to get this started. We still got about an hour, so I'll get started on that laundry if you wonna take a shower or somethin'." He pressed a kiss to his forehead, smoothing his hand across his back. "Hey, how'd your session go?"

"Pretty good. I'll tell you later." Greg smiled at him, making his way into the front room. He gave his mother a hand with Sadie's diaper change, before he helped her get ready to leave. "When are coming back home?" He led her to the door, handing her scarf over to her as she checked through her bag.

"Um... I think we're in San Fran for two weeks, before we're going off to New York for a few days. I'm sure your father will let me know how long exactly once we get there. Daniel's sister, Jayne is going to look in on Nana. You better call me if anything happens with this baby." Jean warned him, stepping forwards to give her son a quick hug. "We'll probably be back long before your due date, but you better keep me updated."

"I will." He assured her.

"Good bye, little one." She playfully tickled the baby in his arms. "You know it's never too early to start potty training, especially with a girl. They're supposed to get it quicker than you boys. I don't think you were completely potty trained until you were four, nearly five."

"Go say goodbye to Nick." Greg gave her a playful push down the hallway. He watched them hugging from the doorway, wondering what it would have been like if Nick's family was the one on board, while his family were completely against them being together. He could never imagine his mother staying away from him for that long, but he imagined that it would feel pretty lonely if he didn't have anyone from his family there to support him. "Bye Mom, I love you." He hugged her again at the doorway.

"I love you too, sweetheart. Take it easy. And you need to get started on your decorating." She quickly reminded him. "Your baby is going to be here soon and you'll be too busy to do it then. You need to decorate the baby's room especially. They can't be breathing in all those fumes."

"The baby is sleeping in with us, so we can decorate it later." He smiled at her, ushering her towards the door. "You don't wonna be late for Dad. He made me promise not to keep you because you've gotta get going."

"I know. I know." The woman gave the baby another wave, before she finally made her way down the driveway. "It looks like it's going to rain." She called out to him from the car, giving him one final wave before she climbed inside. She smiled at Nick as he appeared in the doorway, watching her son putting his arm around him, before she drove off.

Greg held the older man's head against his shoulder for a while, before he pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "Mmm, it smells good, Tex. I can't remember the last time you cooked for me."

"I'm sorry, I've been busy." Nick gently lifted his daughter from his arms, pecking a kiss to her cheek. "I will get this little monkey set up. You can go have a shower or I can run you a bath."

"Shower. I think if I get in the tub like this all the water will just go..." He threw his arms out either side of him, smiling as Nick leant forwards to kiss him. "I'll be down in a minute." Greg kicked off his sneakers, sweeping his jacket off his shoulders, before he hurried up the stairs to their bedroom. He found red rose petals scattered across the clean sheets on their bed, putting an even wider smile on his face as he really was with the right guy this time.

When he stepped out of the shower, he smiled as the man in question appeared behind him, handing him a fresh fluffy towel.

"How long were you standing there?" Greg dried his face, before he wrapped the towel around his hips.

"Not long. Long enough though." The Texan grinned, taking a step closer to him. "I just put Sadie down for the night, so I came to see if you needed anythin'." He traced his finger across the protruding bump in Greg's abdomen, amazed at how much their baby had grown already. He smiled as he noticed that the younger man's belly button had finally popped out, making more room for the little life inside. "Hey, don't." He stopped the younger man from hiding his stomach away beneath the towel. "I know you're worried about this gainin' weight part of it. But I love your body, no matter what. You just look more and more gorgeous to me. You're the most beautiful man I've ever seen."

"You haven't looked at that many men though."

"You're supposed to take it as a compliment." Nick playfully tickled his side, leaning forward to press a kiss to his partner's neck. "You missed a spot." He brushed his thumb across the patch of stubble on his boyfriend's jaw, pecking a playful kiss to his chin. "I'll leave you to get dressed."

"Hey." Greg grabbed his shirt, gently pulling the man closer. He sealed a kiss to his lips, before he let him go. "You don't have to try so hard for our one year anniversary. I'm kinda invested in this relationship now. With or without the baby between us." He smiled against his lips, pulling him in for one final kiss. "Being with you is the best thing that's ever happened to me. I love you."

Nick grinned widely, turning on his heels to give him some time to get ready. He hurried downstairs to check on their meal, before he turned for the laundry room to continue sorting. He couldn't imagine what it would look like with another baby added the mix, but he was hoping they would be more organised by the time the new baby came along. He was starting to rethink his plan to rush into getting back to work now that things were starting to get on top of them.

"The only ones I can fit into comfortably at the moment have an elastic waistband, so I'm sorry for killing the mood." Greg appeared beside him, showing Nick his oversized paternity pants, before he assisted him to fold the last of the clothes. "You know she doesn't even fit into this one anymore." He held up the onesie in front of him.

"Doesn't she?"

"Her legs are too long for it. And this one, you can't do the poppers all the way up on her anymore. It's too tight around her chest."

"We'll have to sort out all the stuff that doesn't fit her anymore. I swear we only just bought that one a few weeks ago." Nick tossed them aside, quickly making his way back to the kitchen before the water boiled over the pots. "Hey have you seen the other baby monitor?"

"Up here." Greg propped himself up on his tiptoes, grabbing the monitor from the top of the fridge. He switched it on, hearing the familiar sound of Sadie snoozing away as it sparked to life. "We're gonna need another set of these soon. Maybe we should look into one of those monitors that have the camera in it."

"What's wrong with these ones?"

"Nothing." The younger man sat himself down at the counter, setting the monitor down in front of him. "Besides hearing them breathe or cry, you can't really see what's going on. You'd have to walk all the way up the stairs to see if they're okay and probably wake them up in the process."

"If you can get em cheap then get em." Nick answered, shaking his burnt finger as he searched the kitchen for the lost oven mitt. "Do you want soda, water or we got some juice?" He turned his attention back to his partner.

"Soda... no, juice." He remembered that the last soda he had gave him bubble guts for nearly two hours. "We missed an open bar last weekend." Greg flicked through their post on the counter, finding an invite to a neighbours party. "It was a pool party as well."

"Which house is that?" Nick set his juice in front of him, taking a look at the flyer he had in his hands. "Three houses down. I haven't seen them yet. I met a dog walker the other mornin'. She gave me her card in case we ever get a dog." He motioned towards the fridge.

"Yeah I got a number for a gardener from the woman across the road from us and an invite to a swingers night round the block." He grinned at his partner, opening up their latest utility bill. "There's also a woman that does day care for kids five and under. Carpooling too. She's an artist or something, so she works from home anyway. You know just because I can't drink, doesn't mean you can't." He spied the glass of water his partner was drinking.

"I'm okay with just water. Besides, we're goin' through this together and we don't have anythin' else in the house."

Greg smiled in his direction, handing over his mail to him. "You always get more mail than me. Isn't that a law firm?" He tapped the edge of one envelope, before he let Nick take them out of his hand. "Anything you want to tell me?"

"Yeah." Nick tore it open to check. "I wasn't plannin' on tellin' you tonight, but I was plannin' on makin' you my next of kin. My sister works for this law firm and she's goin' to draft me up a will so if anythin' were to happen to me, you and our kids would get anythin' in my name. At the moment, it all goes to my folks and we're not exactly on speakin' terms right now. If anythin' were to happen to me, I don't want you, Sadie or our baby to become homeless or somethin' because my folks won't acknowledge that you're my family."

"Such a romantic." Greg gave him a grin. "You'd really do that for me?"

"I'd do anythin' for you. I just want to make sure that I can still look after my family, even if I'm not physically here to do it." He leant forwards, pressing a kiss to the younger man's forehead. "Do you like crispy roast potatoes or fluffy?"

"Crispy. You know I already made you my next of kin." He informed the older man, clearing away the mess on the counter. "Not officially with lawyers or anything, but when I was booked in for all those tests, before we knew that I was pregnant. I asked them to change my in case of emergency to you. Don't tell my Mom." He smiled at him, setting the important letters in the drawer so Nick could file them later. He would do it himself, but he knew his partner liked things done a certain way. He didn't want to get in the way of that, so he let him take over whatever he wanted in their new life together as he already had everything he ever wanted.

"You really made me your next of kin then?"

"Yeah, you think I still want my Mom to make all the important decisions in my life? Especially when it's time to pop this little parasite." He placed his hand over his stomach. "I want you to make the decisions if anything happens, not my Mom. Not to put too much pressure on you, but my life will literally be in your hands come D'day."

"Wouldn't it be B'day, not D'day?" He corrected him, giving him a smile as he turned back for the oven. "We got about twenty minutes. You wonna help me set the table?"

"The table that we haven't sat at for nearly a year?" Greg giggled softly, swivelling round off the stool. He grabbed some cutlery out of the drawer, arranging them neatly around Nick's folded napkins and place settings. "I can't wait to have family dinners round this table. You know the cheesy, how was your day speech over dinner. The kids complain about school or homework, while you announce the big promotion that you got at work."

"You think about stuff like that?" Nick looked at him surprised.

"Yeah, with all this free time on my hands, I have time to think about a lot of stuff."

"But you can't find the time to pick up an iron?" He decided to tease him, playfully jabbing his partner in the side. "You know I'm jokin'. You've really stepped up to take care of Sadie since I've gone back to work. She adores you. I've always kinda hoped that you two would have this unbreakable bond when she gets older, even though you're not biologically related to each other. I thought she'd just grow up knowin' you as Dad's boyfriend at first, but you've bonded with her already. She'll always know you as Papa Greg now. Does that scare you?" He curiously looked at the younger man.

"Nah. Not so much." Greg shook his head, setting the dessert spoons down. "What do you expect me to crumble under pressure? Throw in the towel when things get too serious and walk out. Maybe you don't really know me that well if you think that."

"I don't think that. I knew you were cut out for this." He assured him, making his way back to the kitchen.

"What gave me away?" He followed his boyfriend, leaning against the counter beside him.

"Your big heart. And the way you look at me." Nick brushed his thumb across the younger man's cheek, leaning forwards to kiss him. "I've never known anyone like you before. I always dreamed of this perfect love with an amazin' guy, but my fantasy was nothin' compared to the real thing."

"How do you do that?" Greg licked his lips.

"Do what?"

"You put me on a pedestal. Make me out to be... this perfect person. I'm afraid that one day you're going to see me for who I really am and this perfect illusion you have in your head of me is going to be destroyed and you'll never love me again."

"That's never gonna happen." Nick assured him, putting his arm around his partner's waist. "I don't have any illusions about who you are. I've known you for years and I've fallen in love with every part of you. I put you on a pedestal because you're my boyfriend and you deserve to be treated right. I'm a gentleman, it was how I was raised. I know you're not perfect, but I love you anyway. You're the only person I've ever been able to trust with my heart completely. I'd marry you in a heartbeat if you wanted to. If I could marry you... legally, you would be the only one."

"Are you ever gonna get sick of saying that?" Greg looked down at the floor, placing his hand over his stomach. "I'm not saying never. Maybe by our fiftieth anniversary or something, you'll finally be able to pop the question with a ring and I'll say yes without even thinking about it." He teased, giving the man a wide smile. "I wonna marry you someday. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me ever and I want this feeling to last forever."

"It will you know. Even with a ring on your finger. Not that I'm askin'." Nick promised, turning away from the oven to grab some plates. "I'm just sayin', nothin' is gonna change between us. Well somethin' will, but nothin' bad. It's just another step in our relationship... that I want to take with you as soon as you're ready." He quickly added. "I figure at least five years from now, we'll be tyin' the knot on a beach with a view of the sunset."

"A beach wedding?" He put his back to the counter. "In the sunset? Romance really knows no bounds with you, does it?"

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Good thing." Greg gave him a grin, feeling his stomach rumbling with hunger as the timer went off on the oven. "Finally, I'm starving."

* * *

 **Thank you for reading. Next chapter on the way soon.**

 **~ Holly**


	13. Chapter 13 - BD Day

**Chapter Thirteen - B/D Day**

"Four weeks is all we have." Fanning away the heat from his face, Greg took a step back from his painting, feeling as though the colour was all wrong already. Since they had no idea what the gender of their baby was, they opted for a whole array of colours in the gender neutral range. The main wall was wallpapered in a safari of coloured animals. He choose white for the window wall looking out onto the garden, leaving the opposite two walls in a pale green colour. He was starting to change his mind now that it was nearly complete, but everyone else seemed to like it.

"You're supposed to say that like it's a good thing." Nick pointed out to him, playfully pressing his painted hand against the old t-shirt the younger man was wearing. He smiled as he left a perfect imprint of his hand against his stomach. "We only have four weeks left until we're a family of four. Until you stop complainin' about your size and your back. And until Sadie becomes a big sister."

"That's what I mean. I'm supposed to have nine months to get used to this, but instead I have four weeks. And you're acting all calm and casual, just painting the nursery as if nothing is happening."

"Are you gonna have another one of your freak outs?" Nick moved his hand round to the younger man's back, barely able to get close enough to him now. "You're amazin' with Sadie and you're gonna be amazin' with your own baby too. You'll always have me here and I don't think you'll be able to keep your mother away for too long."

"I don't know how to be this. A parent. I just have this bad feeling that I can't do this. I had to pass a test and perform trials to become a full fledged field CSI. I had to ace my exams to even get the job in the first place. Now I'm about to just be handed this huge responsibility of parenthood with no real qualifications or idea about what I'm doing. How can people just jump into something like this? A job that they're pretty much going to be stuck with for the rest of their life. I don't get how people can just dive into this situation with their eyes closed."

"I don't think our eyes are closed. We're not really jumpin' into anythin' either." Nick returned to the wall behind him, finishing off the last few spots. "Are you backin' out? Because it's not too late if you wanted to throw in the towel and call it quits."

"It kind of is." Greg playfully flicked some paint from his paintbrush in his partner's direction. "I'm pretty invested in this family thing now. I love you and Sadie, so this baby can't be that bad. What if it has a really annoying cry?" He had a sudden thought. "Sadie didn't cry as much as I thought she would, but my Mom said I was a nightmare at nights. If this baby takes after me, we're gonna need some ear plugs."

"You're not supposed to ignore it when it cries., G"

"Says who?"

"Says the baby. They cry when they need somethin'. They don't know how to talk at that age, so they have to cry to get your attention. Sadie makes gestures now. She only really cries if she's tired or frustrated."

"Or if she's bored in the checkout line at Wal-mart. She screamed at me for about ten minutes, before they decided to open up another till for us, so we didn't bother the other shoppers. And you're forgetting the other week when she cried for nearly six hours straight." Greg pointed out to him, perching himself on the window ledge with the cooling breeze of the window behind him.

"She's teethin'. I told you to rub that stuff on her gums if she got cranky."

"Excuse me for forgetting one of the billions of rules about a baby." Greg gave him a smile as he looked in his direction. "When you found out about Sadie and you saw her in that incubator for the first time, did you ever think about what you were going to have to deal with?"

"When I first found out about her, I had the doctors tellin' me she wouldn't survive. She'd be blind, deaf, she wouldn't be able to walk or talk. I wasn't really thinkin' about her future then. I was just countin' the seconds until her next breathe or holdin' her little hand through the door of the incubator, feelin' the strength of her grip as she held onto her life. I had my Mama tellin' me to just let her go naturally with some dignity. She doesn't believe in neonatal care or artificial preservation. In her day if there was somethin' wrong with a baby when it was born, they'd take it away from the parents and wait for it to die naturally. And then I had the mother tryin' to do everythin' she could to make sure that Sadie didn't have any natural parents. I didn't really start to think about her future until that first day when I was allowed to bring her home."

"And from that moment, you were willing to throw your whole life away for a baby?"

"Not just a baby, Greg. She's my flesh and blood. She's a part of me. I didn't see any other choice. She was a vulnerable little lump that belonged to me and it was my responsibility to take care of her. She didn't have anybody else. I think it really hit me the first day I brought her home. She was my responsibility and I had to take care of her. But now she has you. And your Mom. Your Dad. And your Nana Olaf. She has a whole family now."

"Now you do too." Greg slid himself off the window ledge, wrapping his arms around his partner's waist. He wished he could be closer to him, but the baby between them kept them at a distance. He rested his head against the older man's back, listening to his heart beating for a moment. "You're not alone anymore, Tex. You'll always have a family that loves and cares for you now. You know my new favourite boy name is Rex." He suddenly remembered.

"Rex?" Nick raised an eyebrow, looking round at his partner behind him. "I'm not namin' my kid, Rex. It sounds like a dog."

"Just take a minute to think about it. It's Latin for King. It's a cool name. Not a dogs name. He'd be the coolest kid in the first grade with a name like that."

"I'm not namin' my kid, Rex." The older man stuck to his original decision. "It doesn't even go with Sanders. Or Stokes for that matter."

"It can be a cool nickname for something longer then. Like Russell, Robert or maybe even Xavier." He giggled softly as he caught the older man rolling his eyes. "Well I like it. I'm adding it to my list. Along with Zeke, short for Ezekiel and Reece."

"Reece sounds like a girls name." Nick objected to another decision. "And Ezekiel? Isn't that the devil or somethin'? I think I like your original choices from last month better than any of them."

"Ezekiel is not the devil. You being a church goer should know that. It means the strength of God. He was a prophet. I also like Arthur, Emmett and... Calvin?" He remembered his choices from before, but he didn't really like the sound of the last one anymore. "I'm not as keen on them as I was before. I still like Elijah, but it's way too popular at the moment. There's a new deputy down in the station called Elijah and there's at least two on our block. And my other favourite boy name, James has been taken by the kid across the street."

"Are you comin' round to the idea of Zachariah yet?"

"No." Greg quickly shot him down, giggling softly as his partner playfully jabbed him in the side. "I just don't like the sound of it. And I'm pretty sure I was bullied by a guy called Zack in Highschool and that's the obvious nickname. I don't even like the sound of the nickname. It's not adorable like Nicky."

"Aww, thank you baby." He turned in his arms to kiss him. "I think I hear a little lady."

"I'll get her." Greg motioned his attention back to the wall. "You're dripping." He left him to finish painting, while he made his way across the hall to Sadie's room. "Good afternoon." He found her stood against the side of her crib, clutching the bars tightly in her little hands. She gave an excited bounce as he got closer, spreading her lips into a smile. "Sleepy little girl." He slid his hands beneath her arms, lifting her against his chest. "Are you hungry?"

Sadie made a soft gurgle that almost sounded like a yes, putting a smile on his face.

"Shall we go see Daddy first?" He smoothed his hand up and down her back, carrying her across the hall to see her father. "Hey Daddy, you missed a spot." He teased him, letting him peck a kiss to Sadie's cheek. "My new favourite girls names are Amelia. Sloane sounds kinda cute. I like the sound of Carly. It means little woman. And I kinda like the sound of Pippa and Willa." He remembered the list off the top of his head. "You hate them all, don't you? My Mom did say that giving birth would be easier than trying to pick a name for the kid."

"Amelia, Carly and Willa I like." Nick confessed, painting over the missed spot. "But Sloane sounds like a detective novel character and what's Pippa supposed to be short for?"

"Philippa, the feminine form of Phillip. I saw it in that book Sara gave me and I thought it was cute."

"I don't like it." The older man shook his head, taking a step back to admire the finished wall. "When we do finally pick a name, we should get those big alphabet stencil things for the wall. We can do the same for Sadie's room."

"You know Nana Jean wants to convert the spare room in her house into a room for her grandchildren. She's already picked out a pine bookcase for story times, along with two little beds. I told her they're still kinda small for beds, but she said the beds have those bumper things on either side. As soon as they get back from New York, she's gonna start setting it up."

Nick felt a little speechless after hearing that. His own mother disowned him the second she found out about his daughter. She'd never convert a room in her own house especially for their visits. "I guess we know where we're spendin' the holidays this year." He smirked, realising there will be four of them by the time the holidays came around. "I'll get it." He heard the phone, pecking a kiss to Greg's cheek as he hurried past him.

"Let's go get you some food." Greg adjusted the baby against his hip, cautiously making his way downstairs. He felt completely out of balance with the added weight of the pregnancy, but the extra baby in his arms made walking in a straight line even more wobbly. "Ow," He rubbed his side, feeling an odd twinge as he made it to the fridge. "I think your baby brother or sister is hungry too."

"Grace cancelled again." Nick joined them in the kitchen, washing the paint off his fingers.

"What was today?" Greg looked round at him, seeing the disappointment on his partner's face.

"She was supposed to take Sadie to the park. Just for an hour, but she suddenly got busy. She's barely spent five minutes with her and she's always naggin' me that I never let her see her own daughter. How am I supposed to when she's always lettin' her down like this?"

"Remember what I said last time?" Greg gently lowered, Sadie into her highchair, securing the straps around her to keep her in place.

"Not my problem." Nick remembered his exact words, giving out a soft sigh. He weaved past Greg to get to the back door, escaping to the garden to breathe in a few breaths of fresh air.

"Munch on these for a little while little monkey." Greg poured out a handful of little crunchy corn snacks on her tray table, leaving Sadie to eat, while he followed his emotional Texan out into the garden. "Baby..."

"I'm fine, Greg." The man snapped at him, stopping to face him. "I just... need a minute."

"You shouldn't take it so personally. If the woman can't be bothered to be a mother to her daughter, then she doesn't deserve to be and you don't need to get so worked up about it all the time." Greg reached out for his hand, gently pulling him towards him as he accepted it. "She certainly doesn't deserve your tears."

"I just want..."

"I know what you want." Greg took hold of both his hands, looking into his eyes. "This ideal picture you have in your head isn't a reality. You know what Grace is like. If she can't be bothered, why should you care whether she gets to see Sadie or not? You said it yourself, Sadie has tons of family now. She's not gonna miss one person who can't be bothered with her anyway."

"Ugh, I hate this." Nick pulled away from him, pacing up and down a moment. "It isn't fair. She's a one year old. Why do I care so much?"

"Because that's the kinda guy you are." The younger man smiled in his direction, rubbing his side as the unfamiliar twinge returned. "I think this whole Mom thing for Sadie isn't going to happen, no matter how much you want it to. So you shouldn't invest so much into it, because you're only going to end up hurt every time she lets you down. Mom's are overrated anyway."

"How can you say that when you have the best Mom ever?"

"Because she isn't here to hear me say that." He smiled again, sitting himself down on the door step as the pain started to shudder through his spine. "The point is, Sadie is not going to miss someone who's never been there in the first place."

"What do I do when Sadie asks about her Mom?"

"Tell her the truth, more or less. She'll love you more for telling her the truth. The lies could tear you apart. My parents were always truthful with me. I turned out okay, right?" He pressed his palm into his painful side, reaching his other hand out to Nick. "If she can't be bothered, it's not your problem. Do you really think Sadie wants a Mom in her life who doesn't care?"

Nick stopped his pacing, looking through the open doorway of the house. He smiled as he watched his baby girl kicking her legs about, putting one snack at a time in her mouth. She looked quite content with the setup they had at the moment, not even a little disappointed that her mother had cancelled a date with her again. "No." He finally answered, placing his hands on his hips. He took in a few deep breaths, before he joined the younger man on the step. "I don't think you need a shrink anymore. You've got the talkin' thing down."

"You're the only screwed up one now." Greg gave him a playful grin. "I hope this baby get your looks, your personality and my brains." He gave him a cheeky smile. "If they end up with my looks, my personality and your brains, then they're in trouble." He teased him, playfully pulling his pouty lip in for a kiss. "I don't care what they look like or what their personality will be like. I know I'm gonna love them more than anything, because I already love you and Sadie more than I thought possible."

"Are you okay?" Nick finally noticed the way that Greg was holding his side.

"Yeah, I've just got this twinge thing that comes and goes."

"Comes and goes?" The Texan glanced towards him as he rubbed the base of his spine. "By twinge, do you mean like a cramp that lasts a little while before it cuts out?"

Greg gave him a slight nod, looking at the man wide eyed. "Why?"

"That's a contraction, Greg."

The younger man shook his head, feeling his heart starting to speed up inside his chest. "It can't be. We're supposed to have four weeks."

"Well are you havin' one right now?" Nick quickly pushed himself off the step, kneeling himself down in front of the younger man. "The books say contractions feel like a cramp or tightenin' feelin' that stops and starts. Usually starts in the lower back or the abdomen." He tried to remember. "Where's the pain?"

"Back... here in my sides." He shrugged his shoulders. "But it's just a twinge."

"Not like a kick or anythin' that you've experienced before?"

"No." Greg sighed, feeling even more terrified. "I can't have the baby now. It's not time yet."

"That's why they say you're on the baby's schedule, not your own." Nick pointed out to him, gently placing his hands on the younger man's knees. "Baby, you gotta stay calm. We can handle this. Stay here a moment, I'm just gonna go get my phone to call your doc. Deep breaths, baby." He leant forwards to press a kiss to his forehead, quickly stepping past him into the house.

Rubbing his painful side, Greg inhaled a few deep breaths, trying to steady his breathing. He thought he had at least four weeks to prepare himself for something as big as finally giving birth to a baby, but it appeared that fate had other ideas for him again.

As his Papa Olaf used to say, you can't fight fate.

"Can you make it into the house?" Nick reappeared behind him, hooking his hands beneath the younger man's arms to help him up. He sat him on one of the stools around the kitchen counter, putting the phone to his ear again. "He's not answerin'." He filled him in, checking on Sadie behind him. "Do you have his office number?"

"Fridge. But there probably won't be an answer. It being Sunday and all." Greg pointed towards it, trying not to groan too loudly as the next cramp felt even more intense than the last. "This isn't fair. My Mom's still in New York."

"Stay calm, baby." Nick placed his hand on his knee, waiting for the next call to go through, but he only got the answer machine. He double checked the number on the card, dialling it again, but he got the same answer machine.

"It is Sunday." The younger man pointed out to him, giving him a slight smile. "I guess even doctors take the weekend off."

"You'd think he'd still keep his phone on though." Nick tried the man's mobile number again, starting to get a little anxious himself. "Hi this is Nick Stokes, Greg Sanders' partner. We really need you to give us a call back as soon as possible." He set his cell down, grabbing his watch off the side. "Time them." He handed it over to Greg.

"Where are you going?" He called out to him, but the man had already hurried up the stairs. "Time what?" Greg set the watch on the counter, only feeling the pain becoming more intense. He glanced down as he felt a sudden gush, feeling a little mortified as his gray track suit bottoms suddenly darkened with the liquid of his waters. "Nick!" He clutched the counter, setting the baby off in tears. He rested his arms on the counter, trying to calm his breathing as the pain became more intense. He couldn't even focus anymore though. It didn't seem to stop. It just continued to build and rip through his lower body.

"I got your hospital bag together." Nick ditched it by the door, running to his aid as he found him slumped over the counter. "Is it that bad?" He held onto his waist to keep him up right, reaching out for Sadie's hand as she continued to cry.

"You tell me?" Greg motioned towards his track suit bottoms.

"Baby, we gotta get you to the car." He glanced down at Greg's leg as he continued to writhe in pain in front of him, seeing the dark red patch soaking through. He immediately started to worry that something was seriously wrong with either one of them, prompting him to get a move on.

Nick struggled to load the younger man into the passenger seat of his car first, not caring about his seat, before he hurried back for his daughter. He grabbed the hospital bag and the unpacked diaper bag, forgetting the essentials like his wallet and phone as he hurried to get Sadie strapped into her seat. He knew she wouldn't be allowed to stay once they got there, but he didn't have time to worry about that now. The love of his life was in so much pain, he couldn't even construct a sentence, which was the most unusual thing for Greg.

Once they got to the hospital, they realised that everyone else's baby had decided that today was the day they wanted to be born. "I will try and get you a room as soon as possible, but we are fully booked at the moment." The nurse apologised, ushering a porter over to them with a wheelchair for Greg. "I will try and get in contact with your doctor for you. When exactly did the contractions start?"

Nick shrugged his shoulders together. "About an hour or so ago. He said the pain is gettin' worse with each one and he's bleedin'."

"Is it a lot of blood?" She glanced over the nurses' station, seeing an adorable baby already in his arms. "I'm sorry but we don't have any doctors familiar with your case to give you a quick examination right now. I'll let you know as soon as we have a room available. It might be a ward at this rate. I'll give your doctor a call right now."

"Where can I use a phone?"

"There's pay phones down the end of this corridor." She motioned towards it, putting the phone to her ear as she started to dial.

"Don't leave me." Greg held his side, trying to hold Sadie close as she continued to wriggle.

"I'm not, I just need to call your Mom and maybe Catherine to get the baby." The older man leant forwards, pressing a kiss to the top of his partner's head. "I'll be right down there." He pecked a quick kiss to Sadie's cheek, taking their bags with him to the phones down the hall. He tried Catherine first, but he got her voicemail. Sara's phone was busy, so he tried Warrick's. "Hey, it's me."

"Hey, Nicky. What's up? I thought you weren't on shift today."

"I'm not. I'm at the hospital with Greg. He's goin' into labour." Nick glanced over his shoulder to make sure he was still okay, but he had never seen that look of intense pain on his face before. "Have you seen Catherine or Sara? I can't get hold of them. I really need someone here to take care of Sadie. And his Mom's still in New York."

"No sorry, Catherine's been out at a scene all day and I haven't seen Sara since this morning. I just finished up my case with Grissom."

"You?" The man couldn't help but smile. "You're volunteering to take care of a baby?"

"Why not? I'm free. Unless you want me to ask Griss. C'mon, I'm practically finished." Warrick glanced at his watch. "I can be there in ten minutes. Do you need me to bring anything?"

"Food for Sadie. She likes bread or those rice cakes things. Just head down a baby food isle and grab anythin' with a big brand name." He turned to check on Greg again, giving out a sigh of relief as he noticed his doctor arriving. He made his way straight over to Greg to check on him, before he started talking to the nurse behind the station. "I gotta go, Greg's doctor just made it here. Hey can you do me another favour. Can you get Greg's Mom's number from Judy on reception."

"You don't remember your own mother in laws phone number?" Warrick smirked, making his way towards the front desk. "Isn't that against the law or something?"

"She gets a new phone and changes her number every couple of months." He defended himself, waving to the doctor as he glanced in his direction. "Hey bring it with you, I gotta go." Nick hung up, quickly making his way back to Greg.

"Hi, Nick." He shook his hand. "I got your message. Another one of my patients have been admitted today, so I was already here. We're just trying to get a theatre slot for Greg. We'll get him set up with spinal tap as soon as we can. The epidural will numb him from the waist down for the c-section." The doctor assured him, slipping away to catch up with another doctor.

"C'mere, baby girl." Nick lifted his daughter from her Papa's arms, holding her securely against his side. "I couldn't get hold of Catherine, but Warrick's on his way. Do you have your phone on you?"

Greg shook his head, leaning as far back as the wheelchair would allow. "I left it upstairs... while we were painting... it was on charge."

Gently stroking his fingers through Greg's hair, Nick anxiously waited for the doctor to return, guessing the pain had eased up a little as Greg's expression didn't look so intense. "How does it feel?"

"Like my insides are being ripped apart." He gave the older man a slight smile. "I can't wait for this part to be over." His smile faded after a moment or so, turning into a more intense look as another contraction started up.

"We have a bed free." The nurse reappeared in front of them. "A lady's just gone up to intensive care, so it'll just take a moment to get ready. I'm sorry it's on a ward, but you shouldn't be in there for too long. We'll get you set up for the anaesthetist. You're not allergic to anything are you?" She grabbed his notes off the desk, noticing a slight shake of his head. "Okay then, let's get you set up. Do you know what you're having?"

"Yeah, a baby." Greg smiled at her, rubbing his side as she started to push the wheelchair in the direction of the nearest ward. He struggled to get up from the wheelchair, sitting himself on the edge of the bed. "Can't you do anything to make the pain stop?"

"We can give you some gas and air for now. As soon as the anaesthetist finishes up with the current c-section, we'll be able to fit you with a spinal tap. I'm sorry we're just really busy today. We only have one anaesthetist on shift at the moment and he's currently in surgery with an emergency c-section." The nurse set up the gas and air for him, handing him the device. "Just breathe in a few deep breaths whenever you need it. We can close the curtains in a moment to get you into a gown."

"I can do it." Greg leant back on his hand, giving the woman a smile as she left them to it. He breathed in a few deep breaths of the gas and air, feeling a little light headed, but it didn't really do anything for the pain.

"Are you okay?" Nick asked.

"I'm terrified." He heard the screams of a woman down the hall, realising he wasn't alone in that feeling. The woman in the bed next to him looked just as terrified, but she was on her own.

"I've been here since three this morning." The woman across from them smiled at them, looking a lot calmer than the other one. "I was due last week, so I was supposed to come in to be induced, but they're just so busy."

Greg gave her a slight smile, feeling a little self conscious from the blood and water stain down his trouser leg.

Nick wished he could say something to cheer him up, but all he could do was hold his hand. He was barely keeping it together himself. "You're shiverin'." He eventually took a seat on the bed with him, lifting Greg's hand from his side. He squeezed it gently in his own, giving his partner one of his famous Texan grins. "Are you okay? You'd tell me if you weren't, wouldn't you?"

"I'm okay." Greg entwined their fingers together, feeling his heart fluttering as he remembered the last time they were sat like this in a hospital. It was almost a year ago now, back when he thought he was dying of the same thing that got his Papa Olaf. He wasn't exactly relieved to find out that it was in fact a baby growing inside of him, but now, he wouldn't want to change the outcome for anything in the world.

"I wish I could do this for you." The older man confessed, looking into the eyes of his partner in front of him. "Not that I wonna steal your thunder or anythin'. I just wish I could take the pain for you."

"I don't want you to." Smoothing his thumb across the back of Nick's hands, Greg gave him a smile of his own as he looked into his eyes. "I can protect you from this pain. I couldn't protect you from all the other pain that you've been through, but I can take on this burden for you. And I'm happy to, because I love you." He replaced the gas and air to his mouth, taking in a few deep breaths.

"I love you too." Nick slid his arm around his boyfriend, holding Sadie close. "I'm gonna be right beside you the whole time." He pressed a kiss to the side of his head, sitting with him for what felt like hours, before a familiar face finally entered the ward. "There's Uncle Warrick."

"Hi." Warrick anxiously made his way through the busy ward towards them, handing the bag of baby food over to Nick first. "I left a message for Catherine on her phone. Judy's gonna tell her when she gets back from her case. And your Mom's changing her flight to land here. She should land sometime this afternoon."

"You called her?" Nick looked at him surprised.

"Yeah, I figured you'd want her to know. Sara's in the hospital now. Her vic is in intense care after some kinda house fire or something, but she said she'd come see you soon." Warrick took a step back as the nurse returned, watching her setting a fresh gown on the bed beside, Greg. "It's really today then. They're gonna deliver the baby?"

"God I hope so." Greg clutched Nick's hand tighter, taking in a few more deep breaths of the gas and air as another contraction started to rip its way through his body. He wanted the epidural now so he wouldn't have to experience any more of these, but they seemed to like making him wait and bear through it. He barely noticed any of the conversation between Nick and Warrick over the next few minutes. He was just relieved when his doctor finally appeared, dressed in scrubs rather than his jeans and a t-shirt.

"Hi." Nick jumped up from the bed. "This is my friend, Warrick. He's gonna take Sadie so I can go in with Greg. I can still go in with him, can't I?"

"Yep, that's fine by me." The man nodded, giving Greg a smile. "They're just getting set up. The anaesthetist is going to meet us there. Nick will have to wait here a moment. The nurse will fetch you in a moment to give you some scrubs to wear. Alright, are we ready?" He looked between the two of them.

Greg shrugged his shoulders together. "Is no an acceptable answer?"

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! That's it for now, hope you've enjoyed it. Sorry to leave you in suspense, but I'll try and get next chapter up by next weekend.**

 **~ Holly**


	14. Chapter 14 - A New Life

**Chapter Fourteen - A New Life**

The moment that Greg was introduced to the anaesthesiologist, he started to feel a little light headed. He tried to listen to every word the man was saying, but all he could hear was white noise as he looked over all the equipment laid out on the tables behind him. He heard the part about the epidural as he spied the large needle being prepped, reaching for Nick's arms the second he came back in a set of scrubs of his own.

Ignoring how cute he looked in the teal, Greg clung to him as if he was a life source, getting ready for the epidural that was supposed to numb him from the waist down. He was okay with that part as he knew it would stop the pain of the contractions, but the huge needle going into his lower spine was another matter.

"Don't move." The man spoke softly.

"Hard not to." Greg whispered, looking up at his partner in front of him. He kept his eyes on the Texan's the whole time, feeling the pinch in his lower spine. He tried to stay as still as possible, but his leg started to shake with nerves after a moment. "This feels unreal."

"The needle?" Nick gave him a curious look. "I think it's meant to."

"No, this." He glanced up at the operating theatre they were sat in. "If it wasn't for the pain, I'd think I was dreaming this whole thing."

"It shouldn't hurt for much longer." The anaesthetist assured him, taking just a little longer to set up the epidural. "Let me know if you feel any unusual discomfort or pain. It won't take long to take effect."

"Isn't a contraction considered an unusual discomfort?" Greg released his grip on Nick's wrists, watching the colour returning to his fingers as his circulation improved without the vice grip. "Are you sure Warrick will be alright with Sadie?"

"She was a little cranky when I left her, but he said he'd be okay. Catherine called, she's gonna take over as soon as she's finished up with her case. And your Dad called Warrick's cell. Your Mom's on the plane over now. He's gonna catch one first thing tomorrow mornin'. Oh and he told your Nana Olaf and she wants to wish you luck."

"My Mom's gonna be so pissed she missed this." Greg sighed softly, feeling the pain beginning to ease up already.

"Alright Greg, we're going to lie you down now. Nick, you can sit over here." The man set him up a stool to sit on, while the covers and things started going up in prep for the surgery.

It killed him not being close to Greg at this point, but he had to remain out of the way while they finished their prep. He noticed a warming table being wheeled in behind him for the baby, watching the doctors and nurses arranging the towels, blankets and equipment that they might need for the baby. He recognised most of them during his time in the Neonatal unit with Sadie, bringing back the fear he had of losing her every day.

He had been so worried up until this point about Greg, he had completely forgotten the fact that his second baby was about to be born four weeks early. He feared the never ending visits to neonatal. The infections that set them back weeks and all the pain his little baby would have to go through to stay in this world.

"What's the date?" Greg lay back helplessly against the table, feeling the various pokes and prods from the doctors below. His stomach felt like a huge bowl of jelly at this point, but he didn't want to look what was going on in case it started to make him queasy again.

"The date is... the twentieth. Of October." The man behind him reported, clipping something to Greg's finger. "They're just disinfecting your stomach." He smiled at him, noticing Greg was trying so hard not to look. "They'll let you know when they start. You shouldn't feel anything sharp and let me know if you do." He placed some more monitors on Greg's chest, checking over the machines beside him, before he took a seat on the stool behind Greg's head. "Do you know what you're having?"

"A baby I hope." Greg smiled, turning his head to watch Nick. He looked more nervous than him at this point, but he couldn't quite reach him from his position. "Will the baby be alright? It's four weeks early."

"That's why we've got the neonatal team in here." The anaesthetist motioned towards the other team setting up in the corner. "That's Doctor Hardy. She's a paediatrician from the neonatal unit. As soon as your baby is delivered, they'll be handed over to her to be checked over. It'll be a few minutes before you get to see your baby and if there's any problems she'll let us know right away."

"Alright Greg, you may feel a tugging sensation in your lower half." The doctor spoke up over the clattering tools. "If it gets too much or you feel any sharp pains, let us know." He checked that he was listening to him as they wheeled him into position under the bright lights.

Greg tried to see as much as he could before the screen went up, but he rather wished he hadn't after he saw the sharp blades of the scalpels dangerously close to his lower half.

"Hey." Nick brushed his thumb across the younger man's cheek. "Look at me."

"I'm okay." He managed a smile back, looking a little more lively now that he was no longer experiencing the intense pain of his contractions. "I'm nervous."

"You think I'm not?" Reaching for Greg's hand at his side, Nick weaved their fingers tightly together, looking into his eyes. "We're in this together remember. I love you... more than anythin'."

"I love you too."

"Okay Greg, we're about to begin. Let us know if you even feel the hint of anything sharp." The doctor advised him once again, but Greg could barely feel his fingers in Nick's hand at this point. He glanced to the side to look at Nick, hearing the beeping of his pulse going a little quicker as they began. He tried to judge Nick's reaction to tell how it was going, but the man masked it with an excited smile each time he looked back at him.

"What are they doing?" Greg spoke softly, hearing a lot of strange sounds coming from behind the screen.

"You don't wonna look." Nick looked away, focusing his attention on Greg. "Trust me."

"They're just cutting down through the underlying tissue, working their way towards your uterus." The helpful anaesthetist filled them in. "The sucking noise you can hear is the suction. It clears away all the blood and fluid, so the doctor can see what he's doing."

Greg breathed in a deep breath, feeling the familiar pressure of the baby against his ribs. "This is going to be a rude awakening."

The anaesthetist behind him smiled, checking on the monitors beside him as the heart beat monitor started to go a little quicker. He didn't look worried, so Greg tried to relax, despite all the distractions in the room. He caught Nick taking another peek after a moment, returning with an equally excited smile across his lips.

The process seemed a lot slower than he imagined it would be. He yawned with boredom after a while, getting sick of staring at the white ceiling above him. "I can feel something." He spoke up.

"Can you tell me what it feels like?" The anaesthetist checked the monitors, making sure the drip was still going into Greg at a steady flow.

"I feel a little sick." Greg confessed.

"The nausea is a side effect from the spinal block. Let me know if you feel something coming up."

"You're going to hear a gush in just a moment. It's nothing to be worried about, it's just your waters breaking from the uterus." The doctor advised them again, right before they heard the gush of the waters.

Greg thought he should have been able to feel that, but he couldn't feel anything but the pressure against his stomach, making him feel as though he was about to throw up at any moment. It got a little more intense over the next few minutes, until he heard the commotion of the doctors and nurses down the other end talking to one another.

"It's alright." The anaesthetist tried to assure them both, giving them a smile. "The placenta is blocking their path to baby, but it's detached from your uterus wall, so it shouldn't take too long. As soon as the placenta is out, they just have to pull baby out and cut the cord. Sometimes the baby is in an awkward position, so you'll feel some pressure as they try to move them closer to the opening."

"Don't look." Greg reached for his partner's hand, fearing the image of it himself.

"It's okay, Greg." The older man assured him, taking a quick look as he heard them talking.

At first, all he could see was a brain looking thing attached to the long bluish umbilical cord. But after a while he saw a tiny set of legs being brought out of his partner's body, followed by a bottom, wrinkled little back and one arm. They twisted and turned the baby awkwardly to try and finish the job, but it didn't give him a very good view of his newborn.

Greg heard an odd gurgle sound before the staff erupted into a happy cheer. He wished they would be quiet as he tried to listen to the softest new sound in the room that he had never heard before.

"Eyes open, looking around." The doctor reported, quickly clamping and cutting the cord. "Do you wonna see your baby?" He nodded to the anaesthetist to lower the screen slightly, giving Greg the first view of the shrivelled little thing in his hands. He didn't register it as a baby at first. A small part of him was still hoping that this was all just a dream, but then the shrivelled blue little thing started to move and take form. He heard the gurgled cries a little more clearly and saw straight into his big beautiful brown eyes.

A boy.

He was shrivelled, small and covered in gunk and blood, but that was definitely his beautiful baby boy.

Before he could get a proper look at the infant, he was whisked away to an area that was out of sight. His cries were a little quieter, but he was definitely still in the same room as him. Greg clutched his partner's hand a little tighter, envious that the man could see everything that was going on, while all he could see was his anaesthetist's nose hair and the bright lights on the ceiling above.

"He's really blue." Nick finally spoke, anxiously shaking his leg as he watched them getting to work on his newborn son. He thought his cries would be more reassuring to him as he had never heard Sadie cry until she was nearly four months old, but instead it only made him worry more.

"They get their colour pretty quickly as soon as they start opening up those lungs with a good ole cry." One of the nurses tried to reassure them both, getting a view of the baby for herself. "He's a nice healthy size and he's crying which is always a good sign."

"He's really cryin'. Can you hear him, G?" Nick turned back to him, giving him a smile as he saw the tears in his eyes. "That's your baby, Greg. He's real."

"Are you cutting the cord, Daddy?" A nurse called over to him. "C'mon, you can cut it if you want to."

"Go." Greg practically insisted trying to peer around the edge of the screen to watch, but all he could see was the teal of everyone's scrubs.

Nick cautiously snipped through his son's umbilical cord, feeling a little squeamish as he saw the blood. He let the nurses clean it up, while he tried to get a better look at his baby's features. He could see a lot of Greg in his scrunched up little face, but he reminded him more of Sadie than himself. "Is he okay?" He asked Doctor Hardy in front of him, watching her performing a few tests on him.

"Yes, I'm just checking his Apgar score. Activity, pulse, grimace, appearance and respiration. He came out a little curled up, which is why he came out so blue. But he's getting his colour back. He was a seven at one minute." The woman turned to report to her colleague. "He appears to be breathing well on his own. His crying will help clear the gunk out of his lungs. Good flexibility." She gently pulled and pushed on his arms and legs, leaving him alone for a moment, before she started more tests. "Oh I'm sorry, sweetheart. Did we wake you up? All his fingers and toes." She smiled up at the father. "He's a nine at five minutes." She reported, glancing up at the clock. "Can we get a hat and blankets sorted out?"

They proceeded to carefully wrap the baby in the warm blankets, pulling a blue hat down on his head, before a fresh diaper was placed between his tiny hips. He had his hands in the air either side of him the whole time, looking as though he was trying to reach out for the warmth he was taken away from.

"I think he's falling asleep." A nurse reported, smiling at the father as she gently wrapped the baby in a warm blanket. "Let's go say 'hi' to Papa. Yeah?" She ushered Nick back to his seat, before she lifted the little bundle from the table.

Greg tried to bite his bottom lip to keep it from quivering, but his tears started to flow in his vulnerable position. He felt even more numb as he got a top up of his pain killers, starting to make him feel even more spacey. He vaguely heard the doctor telling him what they were doing next, but his focus turned towards the baby as they finally brought him back to him.

His lips and tiny fingernails were still a little blue, but the rest of him was bright red now. He looked even more beautiful now that the gunk and blood was gone, showing off his adorable little features, his tiny fingers and the very fine patches of hair sticking out from beneath the blue hat on his head.

"Wow." The younger man finally spoke, letting his tears flow free. "We made that."

"Yeah we did." Nick chuckled softly, sitting back in his seat as the nurse handed him over to him for the first time. He wasn't expecting to be able to hold his newborn right away. He felt like he had to wait months before he could even touch Sadie's little hand, but he was holding his son before he was even ten minutes old. He listened to his delicate cries, watching his every movement in amazement. "I can't believe his eyes are open already. I had to wait months to even see the colour of Sadie's."

"Are they yours or mine?" Greg queried, trying to see from his position on the table. He smiled as Nick gently lifted the little boy a little higher, giving the younger man a better look of his big chocolate brown eyes. "Definitely yours. What colours his hair?"

"Blue." Nick teased him, gently lifting the hat a little to try and see his hair underneath. "It looks... blonde, maybe mousy brown. It could be your natural colour." He smiled at the younger man, replacing the hat to his son's head. "He's beautiful, G."

Greg smiled back at him, starting to feel a little sleepy as the long process of stitching him back together continued. He felt about ready to sleep once he was finally carted out to a recovery room, but instead he just let his tears flow as he tried to picture what his baby even looked like. He honestly couldn't remember, starting to feel like a failure already.

"Hey, no tears, beautiful." Leaning across the bed, Nick pressed a kiss to his partner's forehead, before he sealed one to his lips. "You had a baby, G." He pecked multiple kisses to his cheek, taking a seat beside him. "How do you feel?"

"Exhausted." Greg tilted his head back, feeling as though his body had been ripped in half. "I can't believe he's out. It's just me in here now. Where is he?"

"The doc is just givin' him a final check over in the nursery. They're gonna weigh him and all that, before they bring him to us. She told me he's healthy. He's got a strong set of lungs on him and a healthy steady heartbeat."

Wiping his fingers across his cheeks, Greg brushed away his tears, feeling a little empty without the weight of the baby against his bladder. He felt oddly hungry too, but he was more concerned about seeing his baby then filling his stomach with food. The wait to see him again seemed to take forever. He wanted to sleep, but he managed to keep jolting himself awake every few minutes, seeing Nick in a different position every time.

"I think I hear him." Nick stood up straight, hearing a gurgled cry echoing down the hall. He reached out for Greg's hand as the tiny cot was wheeled into their room, feeling the younger man's hand shaking in his own as the nurse wheeled it right to his side. "Wow, he's loud."

"I know, he woke up all the other baby's. I think somebody wants his Papa." The nurse smiled, gently sliding her hands beneath the tiny bundle. "Your little boy is seven pounds exactly. We've got his foot prints and hand prints ready on the birth certificate, we'll just need your names and his name once you've decided. Who wants him first?"

"Nick." Greg motioned towards him, too afraid to hold him at the moment.

"Okay." She made her way round the bed to him. "You'll need to be careful when you hold him, Greg. We don't want you to pop your stitches. Over the next six months you shouldn't lift anything heavier than your baby." She waited for Nick to sit down, before she gently placed the baby in his arms. "There, you're a natural. We'll get his first feed ready soon. You might wonna look out for his first diaper change too. There's some things on the trolley, but if you need any help give us a shout."

"Thank you." Nick smiled at the woman, brushing his thumb across his baby boy's cheek. He continued to screech at the top of his lungs for a few minutes longer, before Nick moved a little closer to Greg. "He likes you." He spoke softly, moving the baby even closer to Greg. He found that when he was actually touching him, he settled completely, looking quite content for the first time. "You sure you don't wonna hold him?" He leant closer, pressing a kiss to Greg's forehead. "I love you, baby."

"I love you more." Greg repositioned his arm, letting Nick lower the baby against his side. "Wow, he's really light." He reached his other hand out for the tiny baby fingers, feeling his tears starting to flow already. "This feels unreal."

"You keep sayin' that." Gently perching himself on the bed, Nick carefully placed his arm the other side of Greg's body, noticing the size of his stomach had dramatically decreased already. "He's your baby boy, G. This is what you've been waitin' for all this time." He caught a smile on Greg's lips as he watched his baby moving ever so slightly, looking so peaceful. "Will you be alright for a minute?"

"Where are you going?" The younger man looked at him wide eyed as if he was terrified to be left alone with the tiny human in his arms.

"Just outside to call your Mom, Catherine and Warrick." Nick wanted to call his own mother like he did last time, but he knew that wasn't an option for him anymore. He could probably call his brother or a few of his sisters, but it wasn't the same as telling your mother that she was a grandmother again. "I can go later if you want."

"No, you can tell them. Just hurry back."

"I will. I'll get Warrick to bring my phone in so I won't have to leave you anymore." The man leant forwards, sealing another kiss to the younger man's forehead. "I won't go far. Shout if you need me." He smiled at him, watching the two of them for a moment, before he reluctantly got up to leave. He found his way back to the pay phones, giving Warrick a call first.

While Nick was away, Greg gently placed his finger in his baby boy's palm, smiling as his tiny little fingers curled around his own, clutching him ever so tightly. He had read that it was a natural instinct for a baby to cling on, but seeing it first hand was more amazing than reading about it between the pages of a book. "So you're the one that's been causing me all this trouble?" He spoke softly, smiling as the baby gave out the most adorable yawn. He was worried that he wouldn't be able to love his baby once it was born, but he adored this little bundle more than anything already.

Even though he felt completely exhausted, Greg couldn't sleep now that he had his baby in his arms. He watched his every tiny movement, counting each of tiny breaths, watching as he tried to open his eyes in the brighter surroundings.

"It's so bright in here isn't here?" He shielded his son's eyes from the bright light, smiling as he watched his eyes flickering open. "You definitely have your Daddy's eyes. You're lucky there. You'll be luckier if you look like him too." He brushed his thumb across the baby's chin, noticing a cluster of moles near his ear. He smiled as he had the same patch on the opposite side of his face. He couldn't see what his teeth were going to be like from the shape of his gums, but he hoped he wouldn't have to go through head gear and braces like he did. "So, what are we going to call you?"

"Hey." Nick appeared at the doorway. "Are you up for a visitor?"

"Who is it?" Greg tilted his head back, smiling as Catherine and Sadie appeared beside him in the doorway. "Yeah, come in." He grinned widely at Sadie, watching her curiously studying the little baby in his arms. "Hey, little monkey."

"She's really excited to see her baby brother." Nick lifted her from Catherine's arms, carrying her over to the bed. "Look Sadie." He perched himself on the bed, smiling as she cautiously examined the new life in Greg's arms.

"He's so tiny." Catherine approached the other side. "Look at those little fingers."

Greg smiled at her, turning his attention towards Sadie as she bounced in her father's arms. "What do you think, Sadie? Should we keep him?"

Sadie pointed her sticky fingers towards him, giving out an adorable gurgle.

"He's the baby now." Catherine smiled at her. "And he's so adorable, look at that little face. He looks just like you, Greg. But those eyes are definitely Nicky's." She leant closer to get a better look, nodding as he really did have his father's eyes.

"Do you want to hold him?" Greg suggested, not sure he was willing to give him up even for a moment, but she looked like she really wanted to hold him. She hesitantly reached out for him, carefully scooping up the tiny infant into her arms. He started to stir the moment he was away from Greg, bursting into full blown tears and a high pitched screech as she tried to settle him in her arms.

"Wow, he's really got a pair of lungs on him." Catherine spoke softly, gritting her teeth together as he squirmed and screamed against her.

"He did that with the nurse too." Nick smiled at her. "He only settled with Greg."

"You better have him back then." Adjusting the baby in her arms again, Catherine lowered him back into Greg's arms, giggling softly as he settled almost immediately. "Wow, look at that. Check you out, Mr Dad. Not even a parent for a day and you've already got the basics down."

"The baby books say that baby's are comforted by the scent of their parents." Nick leant across the bed, watching his son snuggling closer to his partner's warmth. "He knows where he came from. I can't wait for your Mom to get here. You realise we haven't taken any pictures yet."

"I know. She's gonna be so mad she didn't get those early shots in." Greg brushed his hand across the length of his baby, finding his tiny toes tangled in the blanket. His little feet were quite blue, so Greg instinctively bundled him a little tighter, trying to keep him warm. "Can we dress him yet?" He realised he only had a diaper and a little hat on.

"Yeah, I got some clothes in the bag." Nick motioned towards it for Catherine to pick up. "There should be a onesie in there somewhere."

"I remember when Lindsey was born, we completely forgot to pack any clothes for her. She went home wearing an outfit that one of the teddy bears were wearing." The woman giggled, handing over a onesie that had a teddy bear printed on the chest. "Will this one do?"

"Take Sadie a moment." Nick transferred her to the woman's arms, taking the onesie out of her hands. He gently slid his son a little closer to him, carefully unwrapping the little bundle from the blanket. His son reached his arms out now that they were free, wriggling and squirming as he grunted through his nostrils. He brushed his thumbs across his son's tiny little feet, before he lifted them into the leg holes of the onesie. He smiled as he lifted him into the rest of the outfit, carefully buttoning the poppers up the inside of his leg, towards his chest. He snugly wrapped him back in the blanket, moving him closer to Greg's side so he felt comforted by his warmth.

"Just looking at you is making me tired." Catherine smirked, catching Greg yawning again. "I didn't think a c-section would be as exhausting as the full labour."

"I had contractions before I went in for the op." Greg defended himself. "I feel like I've been cut in half to get him out. You try having your stomach cut open while you're awake and a baby ripped out."

"I didn't mean it like that. I was in labour with Lindsey for six hours and I felt exhausted for days afterwards. I just always wondered if a c-section would have been less exhausting."

"You do look exhausted, baby." Nick agreed with her, bending to press a kiss to his partner's forehead. "You should get some sleep. You've got six months of recovery ahead of you." He gently combed his finger through the younger man's hair, giving him a wide smile. "I love you so much."

"I love you." Greg gazed up into his eyes, feeling even more in love with the man then he was before. He turned his attention back to his son, watching him peacefully sleeping beside him. He vaguely heard parts of Nick and Catherine's conversation, before she decided to leave to get Sadie down for the night. He didn't really want to sleep himself, but the top up of pain killers sent him off into a deep sleep.

When his mother finally arrived from the airport, he couldn't pry his eyes open for even a second to see her. "Oh my goodness." Jean spoke softly, leaning over the cot to look at her newborn grandson. "He's beautiful, Nick." She smiled at her son in law, gently brushing her fingertip across the back of the baby boy's hand. "He looks just like Greg at this age." She started to get all teary, glowing with pride for her new grandson. "Is he alright?"

"Yeah. The doc said there's nothin' wrong with his heart. As far as they can tell, he's a perfectly healthy baby." Nick nodded, knowing she was eager to hold him. He scooped his son out of the cot, placing him in the woman's arms for the first time. He didn't settle for Catherine, Sara or Warrick, but he remained silent in his Nana's arms for the first time, not even kicking up a fuss as she opened the blanket to look at his little fingers.

"I don't think I've held a newborn in my arms since, Greg." She smiled at him. "He's adorable. Congratulations, sweetheart. How's Greg?" The woman glanced towards her son on the bed. He looked a little pale in colour, but other than the dark circles around his eyes, he didn't look as though he had suffered too much. "Is he doing okay?"

"Yeah, the last shot of pain killers really knocked him out. He could barely talk through the contractions earlier. He brightened up a bit after the epidural was put in. I've never seen him cry so much either." He confessed, smiling as his son gave out the most adorable yawn.

"And you, sweetheart?" Jean reached out for his hand. "Are you doing okay?"

"I'm okay." He smiled at the woman, feeling chills running up his spine as she squeezed his hand tightly in her own. It was exactly what he wanted from his own mother, making him glad she was here. He realised that it wasn't only Greg that he wanted from the Sanders clan. He wanted the whole package. The loving overprotective mother and the supportive father, everything he lacked from his own parents.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading. Next chapter hopefully by next weekend.**

 **Hope you're enjoying the story so far.**

 **~ Holly**


	15. Chapter 15 - Fathers

**Chapter Fifteen - Fathers**

"Did you hear that statistic that seventy percent of house work is done by Mom's?" Catherine set down the pile of folded laundry in front of Nick, smiling at him as he shoved the last stuffed animal into the toy box. "I honestly can't picture Greg scrubbing the kitchen, so that must make you Mom."

"He does his fair share." Nick defended him, plumping up the pillows on the sofa. "He won't clean the bathroom, but he cleans the kitchen. Not well, but he tries. He's always vacuuming. He hates dust, so that's a bonus." He grabbed the pile of folded laundry, raising an eyebrow at Catherine's folding skills. "Can you fold in straight lines?"

"Those bed sheets are huge. It's not really a one person job."

Nick smiled at her, unravelling the mess she made of the bed sheets. "They have to be ironed anyway. Don't you iron your bed sheets?"

"I don't have the time. They get washed then shoved back into the linen closet until they're next on my bed. Lindsey sometimes irons her own, but she never bothers with mine. I get the dry cleaners to do my work stuff, because I never have the time otherwise. Who does your laundry?"

"Greg... or me. I've done all my own laundry since a crazy stalker started stealin' my clothes." The younger man reminded her, taking the bed sheets back to the laundry room. He set them on the side to deal with later, checking the time on his watch. "I gotta get back to the hospital." He weaved past her, making his way through to the other room. He scooped Sadie up from her toys, grabbing the diaper bag to take with him to the hospital. "We're gonna go see Papa and your baby brother."

"I think this place is spotless now." Catherine grabbed her jacket and purse from by the door, smiling at the baby in the younger man's arms. "When's Greg due to be home?"

"Hopefully, today. He's been in there five days already." Nick lifted his daughter into her arms, while he found himself some shoes and a sweatshirt. "I can't wait to have them both home. Can we Sadie? You miss Papa, don't you?" He took her back, pressing a kiss to her little cheek. "Shall we go see Papa and your baby brother then?"

Sadie nodded her head slightly, squirming in his arms as he started checking the house to make sure it was locked up tight. She whimpered as they said their goodbyes to Catherine on the driveway, going into a full blown meltdown as the woman drove away.

"We'll see her again soon." Nick tried to assure her through her tears. "We're goin' to see Papa. We might be able to bring him home today. We'll have your baby brother home too." He managed to get her settled enough to sit in her car seat for the journey to the hospital, but she wasn't happy about the disruption to her normal schedule. She cried and clung to her father's side all the way to Greg's room, easing up a little once she was in Greg's arms.

"He's ready to go home, but the doc won't tell me anything about me." Greg leant back against the uncomfortable pillow behind him, smiling as he watched the adorable man watching over their son in the cot. "Did you bring the other car seat?"

"Yeah, it's been in my truck for the last four days." Nick smiled up at him. "Did you sleep much after I left you last night?"

"I got some sleep. This bed is seriously killing my back though." He brushed his fingers through Sadie's messy hair, smiling as she lay peacefully in his arms. She usually tried to crawl around or escape the clutches of people holding her, but she was quite happy to just lay beside him at the moment. "Have you slept yet?" Greg saw the dark circles beneath his partner's beautiful eyes, wondering if it was lack of sleep or too much stress.

"Not yet. I just got in from work. Catherine said Sadie slept like a log. She helped me clean up the place ready for you to come home." Nick made his way over to the bed, perching himself on the edge. "I can't sleep in that bed without you anymore. Sadie bunked in with me for her nap yesterday. Your Mom's comin' back tonight with Nana Olaf, so I kinda need you home for backup." He smiled, weaving their fingers together. "Grissom said as soon as you're home, I can take some time off to be with you and the baby."

"I had a thought about that." Greg confessed, brushing his thumb across the back of Nick's hand. "Instead of calling him 'the baby' for any longer, I've thought of a few more names that I really like for him. I really like Arthur. I know you weren't that keen on it, but Sadie and Arthur sound pretty cool together."

"I never said that I didn't like it." Nick objected. "I just said that it sounded kinda old fashioned. But your Mom thinks Sadie's name is old fashioned, so I guess they kinda go. What were your other ideas?" He thought he should hear all the new suggestions, before they made up their mind.

"Sonny." The younger man grinned through his teeth, knowing the Texan would hate the sound of that one the second he heard it. "I also like Jasper. Or Memphis."

"Arthur really doesn't sound that bad anymore." He realised, looking towards his sleeping son across the room. He turned back to Greg, giving him a nod. "I like it. Do we have to run it past your Mom first? You already did didn't you?"

"Well I kinda had to." He retrieved his phone from his side, letting Sadie hold onto it. "Papa Olaf's first name was Arthur. My Nana used to call him Art. I just didn't want to tell you that until you made up your own mind about it. I didn't want you to feel as though you had to name him Arthur just because it has sentimental value to me."

"I like it even more now." Nick leant forwards, stealing a quick kiss from his lips. "You taste like... cherries?" He licked his lips.

"It's the jello." Greg giggled softly, closing his eyes as the older man kissed him again. "Please say we can go home today. I can't spend another day or night in here."

"I haven't seen your doctor yet, but he said somethin' about finally dischargin' you yesterday." He combed his fingers through his partner's tousled hair, missing the scent of his apple hair gel, but it was easier to comb his fingers through it without the stiff gel. "Are you ready to go home as a family for the first time?"

"Terrified... but yeah." He smiled slightly. "It's weird. Before the baby... it still felt like I was just me, while you and Sadie were a family. I knew we were going to be a proper family once he came along, but it didn't really hit me until I held him for the first time. I realised that you're not just my boyfriend anymore. You're my family."

"Da-ddy." Sadie threw her hands up towards him.

"I know that scares you." Nick held his daughter's little hand, looking into Greg's eyes. "But it doesn't mean things will change between us. Not much anyway."

"What scares me the most is that I have more to lose now," He confessed, opening his palm as Sadie started to examine his fingers. "I've never been this invested in a relationship before. I've never had so much to lose if things go badly."

"I already kinda figured that you were afraid of commitment."

"Why? Because I wouldn't agree to marry you after less than a year?" Greg grinned at the older man. "That has nothing to do with committing. That's just..." He struggled to think of a reason for a moment, giggling softly as Nick leant forwards to steal a kiss from his lips. "It's not... it's just..."

"Just what, baby?" Nick brushed his thumb across the younger man's jaw line, smiling against his lips.

"I'm not afraid of commitment." The younger man pursed his lips together, gazing into the big soulful eyes in front of him. "There's loads of things I am afraid of, but committing myself to you isn't one of them. I am completely... one hundred... two hundred percent committed to this relationship and this next step on being a family together."

"Okay." Nick grinned widely, glancing over his shoulder as their son started to stir. He climbed off the bed, leaning over the crib to watch him waking up a moment, before he scooped him up into his arms. "Good Mornin', Arthur." He took him over to Greg, taking his seat beside him again. "There's your big sister, Sadie." He opened the blanket surrounding him, letting him get his arms out. "And your beautiful, Papa. You dressed him in the blue one today?"

"Yeah, it's a little long for his arms, but at least we don't have to put gloves on his fingers. Careful, Sadie." Greg held onto her as she struggled to her feet. She got a quick look at her baby brother, before she tried to make her way towards the edge of the bed. "You wonna swap?" He suggested, struggling to hold onto her without his stitches popping.

"Yeah." He transferred his son to Greg's arms, lifting Sadie from the bed before she crawled any further. She protested with a high pitched cry, setting off her brother a moment later.

"Oh dear, bad time?" Greg's doctor gritted his teeth together, tapping his knuckles against the door to make sure they spotted him, before he made his way inside. "Good Morning. How are you feeling today?"

"I could use some earplugs." Greg smirked, adjusting his son to lay him against his shoulder. It made his screams louder as he was closer to his ear, but he settled within a few seconds, bringing silence back to the room. "Please say that I can go home today." He looked towards his doctor. "I can't stay here another night."

"That's what I came to see you about." The man assured him, opening up his chart to check on the latest set of results. "There's no sign of anymore bleeding and no sign of infection, so we're ready to discharge you. You'll need to take it easy for at least six months. We'll see each other before then for your regular checkups, but you have to avoid anything that could cause irritation or trauma to that area. Don't lift anything heavier than your baby."

"I'll make sure he doesn't." Nick adjusted the toddler in his arms, trying to stop her from squirming while the doctor finished his explanation.

Once he finished his long list of cautions, Greg struggled to get out of bed, setting his baby boy back in his cot, so he could get himself dressed before the doctor changed his mind. He didn't want Nick to see what had become of his deflating stomach, but he really struggled to bend to pull his sweatpants up.

"Not too high." Greg flinched, smiling as the man gently settled the elastic waistband of the sweatpants around his hips. "You know what I can't wait to do?"

"What?" Nick checked on Sadie behind them, making sure she wasn't getting into anything that she shouldn't.

"Have sex like a normal person again." He grinned back at him. "It should be easier without the obstacle in the way, right?"

"I think we had some fun with the experimentation." The Texan spoke softly, giving him a nervous smile as the younger man perched himself back on the bed. "I think I kinda liked it bein' more challengin'. Don't you have to wait a while though?"

"Yeah, I was just saying. I'm not even bothered about taking time out of work to be with him right now. The one thing that I really want back is being with you."

Nick gave him a smile, grabbing the younger man's sneakers for him. He slipped them on for him so he wouldn't have to get up, feeling even more excited as a nurse showed up with a wheelchair. She gave his c section wound a quick look over, stocking them up on some supplies to keep it clean, before she helped him into the wheelchair.

"Are you alright to carry him?" She scooped up the baby, taking him over to Greg. "We're going to miss you around here little one."

"Arthur." Greg reached his arms out for him, holding his beautiful boy close to his chest.

"Arthur, aww," The woman cooed, watching him settling in his arms. "We better add that to your birth certificate. Congratulations you two." She smiled at them both. "Let's get you out of here then, yeah? Where are you parked?"

"The one out the front." Nick finished packing up their bags, scooping Sadie up from the floor. He followed the nurse outside, smiling as Greg was gazing down at the baby boy in his arms the whole way out, rather than looking up at the sky or breathing in the fresh air from outside.

When they finally arrived home, Greg's father was waiting on the driveway for them. He waited for Nick to park, before he pulled open the door for his son. He helped him out of the car, leaning straight in to hug him. He had been feeling like a bad absent father for missing one of the most important parts of his son's life again, but the guilt quickly went away as his son introduced him to his grandson for the first time.

"He's so small. I don't remember you being that small."

"He's seven pounds. The doctor said he's healthy." Greg lifted out his son from his seat, holding him securely in his arms. "He's six pounds heavier than Sadie when she was born, so I think that's pretty healthy. Is Mom inside?"

"Yeah she's in the kitchen with Nana." Daniel held the front door open for him, before he made his way back to the truck to give Nick a hand. "Are you alright, son?" He had no idea what effect that term had on the younger man, but he noticed him clenching his teeth into his bottom lip as though he was trying to hold something back. "What is it?" He lifted Sadie out of the car for him.

Nick shook his head, lifting the last bag out of the back of his truck. "It's nothin'. I'm just glad to finally have Greg home." He gave the man a reassuring smile, making his way inside. He was more than a little envious that Greg had his entire family inside to congratulate him on the birth of his baby boy, while he still had yet to tell any of his own for fear of another rejection.

"He's beautiful." Nana Olaf continued to smile at the adorable baby in her grandson's arms. "He's so similar to Sadie, isn't he?"

"He has a lot of Greg in his features though." Jean added, making her way towards Nick to give him a quick hug. "Good Morning, sweetheart. You look exhausted."

"I just finished up work a few hours ago." He ditched the bags by the utility room door, lifting his daughter from Daniel's arms. "I didn't get a chance to sleep yet. But I'm off for a few weeks now that Greg's home."

"You'll need all the sleep you can get with a newborn." The woman smiled, motioning towards the bags on the counter. "We picked up some groceries on our way over. Would like me to make you anything to eat?"

"No, thank you. I'm alright for now. I'm gonna go change, Sadie." He grabbed the diaper bag on his way out, taking it upstairs with him.

"Can you hold him a minute, Mom?" Greg climbed up from his seat, carefully transferring the baby over to her. "He needs a bottle soon, but I should be back before then." He held his side, making his way towards the stairs. Each step up hurt a little more than the last, but he eventually made it to Sadie's room, finding Nick changing Sadie's diaper on the floor, while she cooed and gurgled. "Hey."

"Hi." Nick spoke softly, without glancing up at him.

"Are you okay?" Greg picked up the pile of laundry on the rocking chair, taking a seat in its place. "You seemed okay at the hospital."

Nick shrugged his shoulders together, leaning back on his heels. "Thought I was."

"What changed?"

"Nothin'." He slid a new diaper beneath his daughter, fastening the tabs around her waist. "Somethin' stupid." He confessed, feeling the younger man staring at him. "Your father called me son." He blurted it out, glancing up at Greg to see if he was rolling his eyes yet. "I hate that it affects me so much, but a year ago I had the full support of my family, now I can't even call my mother to tell her I have a baby boy. You think I'm pathetic, don't you?"

"No, not at all." Greg smiled at him. "When we get some pictures printed of Arthur, we could send her some. Or one of those birth announcement things. Just because you're not talking right now, doesn't mean you can't let her know that you have a beautiful baby boy. And in time, you might actually be able to call her and tell her how they're doing in school or something."

Nick sighed softly. "How long will that take?"

"How longs a piece of string?" Greg reached his hand out for him, gently pulling him closer. He brought Nick's head into his lap, gently stroking his fingers through his hair. "I don't know what she's like, because I've never met her. But it'll take as long as it takes, especially if she's in denial about something that's a part of you." He brushed his thumb across the man's cheek, smiling as the man hugged his legs tightly against his chest. "Did you tell your sisters yet?"

Nick shook his head. "I told my brother. I was on the phone with his wife most of the time, but they were both really happy for us. I'm still not talkin' to Gwen."

"What about... Vicki?" He brushed his fingers through the man's hair. "Or Lily? You're talking to them aren't you? You can call them and tell them." He smoothed his other hand across his back, smiling as Sadie had climbed up from the change mat, joining them by the chair. "Hey, monkey. Daddy really needs a hug."

"Dada." Sadie clung to his t-shirt, until he turned to lift her.

Nick scooped her up, hugging her close against his chest, before he leant forwards to press a kiss to Greg's lips. "I love you."

"I love you." Greg pulled him closer, sealing a more romantic kiss to his lips. "Do you wonna come downstairs and get lots of hugs?" He put his arms around Nick, pressing a kiss to the top of his head, before he struggled to his feet. "Did you put that basket thing in our room?"

"Yeah, it's at the end of the bed. I sterilised all the bottles and pacifiers before I went into work yesterday. All his clothes are washed and folded away. I picked up a load of diapers and wipes. I think we have everythin' ready." He struggled to his feet, patting Sadie on the back. "It's so good to have you home again, baby."

"You won't be saying that when Arthur's screaming all night, keeping you awake."

"That's the best part about it. Havin' my baby boy home after months of waitin' for him to arrive. I can't wait to experience every part of him growin' up. Sleepless nights, dirty diapers, teethin' and tantrums... the whole lot."

Greg smiled back at him, gently stroking his fingers through Sadie's short hair. "Your hairs getting long, little monkey. The ends are starting to curl. You think she's gonna have gorgeous curls?"

"My hair curls when it gets longer."

"So does mine." He grinned back, taking Nick's hand to lead the way downstairs.

He helped his mother to prepare some lunch, while his Nana Olaf fed Arthur a bottle. He thought he wouldn't settle for a stranger at first, but he was too busy trying to keep an eye on what was going on around him to even notice. He fell asleep during his first diaper change from his Granddad, snoozing softly in Nana Jean's arms while they sat down to lunch.

"I love how he just stretches his arms out like that." Jean continued to gaze down at her beautiful grandson, not even touching her lunch. She brushed her fingers across his stretched out arm, smiling wider as he gave out the most adorable yawn.

"You have to give him back soon, you know, Mom." Greg smiled at her.

"Oh no, he's all mine until he starts crying. Then you can have him back. Can you see that slight smile?" She tried not to disturb him, but Greg was sitting the wrong side of her to be able to see his son's first smile. "Have you charged up your camera yet? You need to get these early pictures in. He won't stay this cute little newborn forever. He'll be flying the nest before you know it."

"I think we have about a whole camera roll full of pictures from his first five days." Nick reported, grabbing his fully charged camera off the side. He snapped a few pictures of his son's first cuddle with Nana at home, before he snuck in a quick picture of Greg.

"Make sure you get them processed. I want some pictures to take home with me when we go home at the end of the week." Jean warned him, grabbing a quick mouthful of salad, before she turned her attention back to the baby in her arms. "He's got a more symmetrical head than you had at this age."

"That's because Greg had a natural birth." Nana Olaf reminded her daughter. "He was squashed out the natural way. Arthur didn't have to go through that, so his head wasn't squashed. You'll just have to be careful not to lay him on one side too often. Their soft little skulls can go flat if they lay in one position for too long." She turned her attention towards the little girl in Daniel's arms as she started to gurgle. "You have a lovely shaped head, my dear. Is she still walking okay?"

"Yeah, she's running and climbing the stairs now." Greg reported, grabbing another handful of salad. He loaded his plate up with potato salad, completely starving after his five days of hospital food. "Her doc said it's a really good sign that she's mastering the basics. But he still can't determine if she will have any effect until she's about three to five."

"What kind of effect?" Nana Olaf immediately started to worry.

"He's always said that the lack of oxygen to her brain when she was born prematurely could have affected her physically or mentally." Nick finished the explanation. "She's been slightly delayed in her development, but he's not too worried at the moment since she's only one. I think she'll be okay. She survived a difficult birth. Four months in hospital. Meningitis. She's a little fighter."

"He's going to be the easy child compared to her." Greg spoke softly, stroking his thumb across his son's head. "Do you think he's warm enough?"

"In this sweltering heat?" His mother raised an eyebrow at him. "He only needs as many layers as you do. Sadie could do with a breather from that cardigan though." She motioned towards the baby in her husband's arms. "She must be boiling in that thing."

"Nonsense, it's breathable fabric." Nana Olaf reached across the table, putting her hand to the baby's forehead. "You're just the sweetest little thing, aren't you?"

"You alright over there, Nick?" Daniel continued to worry about him.

"Yeah... I'm kinda tired." He confessed, pushing himself up from the table. "I think I'm gonna get some sleep. Shout if you need me." Nick cleared away his and Sadie's finished plates, leaving the proud grandparents to fuss over their grandchildren as he made his way upstairs. He was too tired to take a shower, just managing to undress himself, before he crashed face first into his pillow.

A few minutes later, Greg made it up the stairs to tuck him in, pressing a kiss to the side of his head as he continued to sleep on. He glanced up towards the door, motioning his father's attention towards the cot at the end of the bed to take downstairs with them.

"Is he okay?" Daniel queried, walking on ahead of his son down the stairs.

"Yeah." Stepping off the last step, Greg closed the safety gate behind him, carefully stepping over Sadie to get back to his baby boy in the front room. "I think he needs more time off than I do at the moment, but he's okay. He can sleep in here." He motioned for his father to set the basket down, before he lifted his baby boy from his Nana Olaf's arms.

"I hope he's always this well behaved... for your sake." The woman smiled up at him.

"Me too." He confessed, pressing a kiss to his son's head, before he gently lowered him into the cot. He continued to sleep on, so he guessed that he didn't mind the change of surroundings all that much.

"Are you okay?" His father noticed the expression on his face.

"Yeah." Greg brushed his fingertips across his son's tiny hand, giving his father a smile. "I never wanted kids because I thought I wouldn't be very good at it. And I pretty much saw them as drooling snot monsters." He smirked, turning his attention back to his sleeping baby boy. "Snot and drool aside, they're actually kinda cute."

"It's yours for life now. Take care of it." Daniel smiled proudly at his own son, before he leant forwards to press a kiss to the top of his head. "You'll do fine. You've always had a caring nature."

"I hope you're right."

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! Please review.**

 **~ Holly**


	16. Chapter 16 - Raising A Family

**Chapter Sixteen - Raising A Family**

Severely sleep deprived and suffering from a killer headache from his pounding ear drums, Greg lethargically trudged down the stairs with his baby in his arms, ready to prep another bottle. He thought after eight weeks he would be a little more used to the routine by now, but he was still as exhausted as the very first day with his newborn baby boy.

"Do you want me to hold him?" His father climbed up from his seat at the counter, offering a helping hand.

"I've kinda gotten used to doing everything one handed lately. I forgot you were here." Greg let him take the baby, freeing up his hands to make up another bottle. He didn't even need to look at the instructions anymore, feeling a little bored of this routine already. He couldn't wait to get back to work, but he'd have bring the baby with him at this rate, because he didn't even like leaving him alone for a minute. "I think he maybe slept for an hour last night. Tops." He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, watching his father gently rocking the baby boy in his arms. "I thought you were going back home today?"

"Tonight, I've got the shower fixture in, but I need another part for the sliding door. I gotta grab my sander for the walls as well. Whoever did that bathroom last had no idea what they were doing. The plastering is terrible. I'm gonna have to sand down that whole wall before I can even start to tile." He made a mental note to himself, taking a seat with his grandson at the counter. He enjoyed taking time out of work to help his son, but he was starting to miss his wife while he was here helping them to get the house in order. "Did you look through the paint charts for your room yet?"

"I will leave all decision making to Nick in that area." Greg leant back against the counter, ready to fall asleep. "What's the big rush anyway?"

"Christmas." His father chuckled softly, realising how exhausted his son was if he couldn't even remember what day it was. "I thought that's why you wanted to get the house together. It's in... four days." He reminded him. "You wanted to host it this year, which has got your mother all worked up by the way. But she's looking forward to meeting some more of Nick's family. How many are coming?"

"No clue. I wanted to host it for Nick, so he can have a traditional family Christmas, but Mom got the bright idea in her head that we should invite other people. I kinda just wanted it to be Nick, you, Mom and Nana, but a few of his sisters are coming with their partners now. I can't exactly complain though can I? Big family meals at Christmas is what he's used to."

Greg turned back for the counter after the water finished boiling, grabbing the baby formula off the side. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes before he tried to figure out the scoops, trying to remember how many of his family members they were expecting.

"It's not too late to cancel it." His father spoke softly, adjusting the baby boy in his arms as he started to fuss. "If Arthur's not sleeping well, then I'm sure they'll understand. They all have kids of their own don't they?"

"Yeah, a litter of them each. I don't think they'll be that sympathetic to me for only having two." Greg pointed out to him. "There's no way I can cancel now. They already have their flights arranged. I know his sister, Lily is coming because every time she calls she gets me. She stopped being disappointed after the fourth time. I think she likes me now." He smiled round at his father.

"Lily, that's the oldest one, right?"

"Oldest sister, yeah." Greg turned back to him, showing off his new skills. "There's William, Lillian, Gwendolyn, Victoria, Veronica, Mackayla and Nicholas. Apparently his Mom chose them all by their cute nicknames. Billy, Lily, Dolly, Vicki, Ronnie... Kayla and Nicky." He struggled a little, but still got them in the right order despite his lack of sleep over the last month. "His sister, Gwen hates being called Dolly though. He only calls her Dolly when he's teasing her." He took a seat opposite his father, shaking up the bottle in his hands. "It seems like the bigger the family, the further apart everyone is. I don't think I could even name your brothers and sisters."

"We were close growing up." Daniel thought back to his childhood. "I think we just sorta drifted apart as we got older. My older sister, Jayne was the first to leave. She left home when she was sixteen, got married a few years later and my parents wouldn't accept the child she had out of wedlock or the overnight husband who wasn't even related to that child, so she never really came back. You know your uncle Callum. He's been working at that sea life place since he left college. I think you stayed with him and his family one summer when your mother and I went away."

"I don't remember him." Greg tested the bottle on his wrist, flinching back as it scolded him. "Ow."

"Cold water." Daniel caught the bottle off him, leaving him to dash for the sink. "You okay?" He watched him drying it off, getting a nod from his son. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah . . . I don't remember him though."

"I think you were two and a half when you stayed with him and his wife. They didn't have kids yet, so you were kinda their test to see if they would be any good at it. I was living with your mother and grandparents during that time, so we really needed a break for just the two of us. After I moved out, it was just your uncles, Michael and Jonathan left at home. You know Michael because he works with me, but Jonathan lives in Florida. He hasn't been back in nearly twenty years now."

"Jayne, Callum, Daniel, Michael and Jonathan." He memorised the list. "Luckily I'll only have to remember, Sadie and Arthur. There's going to be no new addition to this family. Don't even ask me to name Nick's nieces and nephews. He told me once, but I don't remember any of them." Greg returned to his seat, realising how bored he was if he was trying to memorise the names of his family. "I'm so glad I'm an only child. I know you and Mom wanted more kids, but I like the close bond that we have. If we had a bigger family, we'd have probably ended up like Nick's."

"Not all big families are like that. Your Grandma and Granddad on my side are dead, so there's really nothing there to hold us together anymore. We all have our own families to look over. We went over for thanksgiving and things when they were still alive, but when your Grandma passed, Granddad moved in with John down in Florida until he died, so we never really saw him again. I see my sister, Jayne now and then. Callum's not too far from home either. And I've worked with Michael since he left college. We just have our own lives to get on with."

"I'm still glad I'm an only child." Greg smiled at the man. "I keep telling Nick there's gonna be no more baby's in this house, but he has his hopes set on at least three. Five at the most. He's gonna have to get the snip if he thinks there's gonna be five of these little monsters around here someday."

"Never say never."

"Two is more than enough. What are we supposed to do when there's more of you then there are of us?" He playfully tickled his son's bare little foot. "He's so quiet with you. Do you wonna feed him or do you need to get on?"

"You can have him back." His father climbed to his feet, transferring the baby back to his son's arms. "Do you know if Nick has a sander for those walls?"

"I have no idea. I wouldn't even know where he kept his tools. Or if he has any." Greg grinned back at him, adjusting his son in his arms to a more comfortable position. "I can text him if you want. He should be finishing up soon."

"No, it's okay. I'll grab mine when I go home tomorrow. While Sadie's sleeping upstairs, I'll finish off those light fixtures in the front room. Power will be out for a while. I'll put up the curtain rail as soon as she's awake. Are you going out today?"

"No." Greg shook his head, gazing down at his son as he started his feed. "I'm starting to get used to this slavery thing. I might have that Stockholm syndrome." He teased.

"You do not. Your Mom will be back in a few days, then you can take all the breaks you like." Daniel pressed a kiss to the top of his son's head, leaving him to it, while he got on with the long list of projects. He thought it all should have been started a lot sooner, but they were busy with their newborn during the first few weeks, putting everything else on hold.

Greg kept his eyes on his baby boy the whole time, hearing the faint chime of the neighbours wind chime hanging outside their porch. He used to find the constant jangling sound annoying, but in his sleepy state, he came to find it very soothing.

When Sadie woke up from her afternoon nap, he decided to take them out into the garden, so they wouldn't be disturbed by the power tools. It really didn't feel like it was so late in December. They didn't have a Christmas tree up and he hadn't wrapped any gifts up, so it didn't feel like anything special at the moment. He thought it was an added bonus that the baby's had no idea that Christmas was approaching, especially after hearing the neighbour's kid reading off his long Christmas list to his parents for about an hour or so.

"Curtains are up and the lights work." Daniel reported, smiling as he found his son cradling his baby boy against his chest, while he followed the hyperactive toddler around their garden. "You're missing one bulb, but I'll pick it up for you tomorrow. Do you need anything else before I head home?"

"Does it look good?" Greg followed Sadie towards the flower bed, stopping her from pulling up the flowers. "Sadie look, what's this?" He tried to divert her attention back to the ball.

"The spotlights? Yeah, I think they look good. You can take a look in a minute. The curtains block out the light from outside a little better too." Daniel smiled, realising his son had become one of those parents who couldn't even hold a conversation with his kids around. "Did you pick them out? Greg."

Greg shook his head. "Mom and Nick. I gave up on the whole interior decorator thing. And you know me, I've never liked DIY." He held onto Sadie's hand, smiling at her as she squealed in excitement, jumping up and down. "You know I really miss the lab, but I think if I were to go back, I'd have to take these two with me. I don't think they allow baby's or noisy toddlers on the lab floor though."

"You're thinking about going back to work?" Daniel followed him around the garden. "Greg. You're going back to the lab?" He asked him again.

"Maybe." He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm standing in a garden in the daytime with a baby strapped to my chest and a toddler holding my hand. It's not exactly the same as examining slides, processing results or working a crime scene. For one thing, I used to sleep during the day. I used to sleep." He corrected himself, smiling at his father beside him. "And I miss seeing Nick every day. He's been pulling double shifts so he can get some time off for Christmas. Everyone with a family wants time off, but it can only be given to a few people so they're not short staffed. I don't think I've seen him properly in three days now. I miss him."

"Dada." Sadie suddenly squealed, pulling away from Greg to run into the man's arms.

"Hello, baby girl." Nick scooped her up, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Afternoon." He shielded his eyes from the sun, smiling at the beautiful man in front of him. "Hi, Daniel."

"Hi, Nick." The man shook his hand, giving him a smile before he returned to the house to get back to work.

"You're home early." Greg quickly made his way towards him, hugging him tightly in his arms.

"I'm not technically home. I'm still on shift. I just came back for a change of clothes." He motioned towards the CSI jumpsuit he was wearing. "I used the spares from my locker the other week after that fire case." He pressed a kiss to his boyfriend's forehead, looking at the baby boy in his arms. "Did you do some laundry today?"

"Yesterday, your jeans are in the wardrobe, but I haven't gotten around to your shirts yet. They're still in the utility room." He motioned through the kitchen, breaking into a smile the moment Nick leant forwards to capture his lips for a kiss. "Mmm, I've missed you. Are you going to spend any time with us this week?" He held onto Nick's cheek, savouring the taste of his lips for just another moment.

"I managed to get four days off over Christmas and then another three around New Year. Catherine's swappin' shifts with me on Christmas eve, so she'll be home with her daughter durin' the day and I'll be here with you over night and wake up with you on Christmas Day."

"Not like last year then." Greg smirked, remembering it was him who was trying to swap around his shifts at the lab, so they could be with his folks over the holiday. "Do you want me to find you a shirt?"

"No you stay." He sealed another kiss to his lips, stepping closer to watch his baby boy sleeping for a moment. "I'll go. Have they been alright?"

"Arthur still doesn't sleep a whole lot during the night, but he likes sleeping during the day. Sadie wouldn't go down last night. My Dad took over in the end. He thinks she's teething again because she's gone off her favourite foods. She'll only eat mushy peas, mashed potato or banana. I miss you." The man quickly added, smiling as Nick quickly kissed him again. "When will you be home?"

"I don't know." Nick lowered Sadie back to the floor, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "In the mornin' maybe. I'm not on a double tonight, so we should see each other tomorrow sometime. I gotta go get a change of clothes. I miss you too." He quickly added, pressing a kiss to the centre of the younger man's forehead. "Front room looks good. We shoulda hired your Dad sooner."

"I told yah. He's leaving in the morning. Mom's coming down with him in a few days to finish the bathroom. The house should look a little more presentable for your family by Christmas." He smiled at him, taking Sadie's hand to lead her inside the house. He left Nick to make his way upstairs for some jeans, while he grabbed him a clean shirt from the utility room. "I can quickly run the iron over it if you want." He held it up to the man.

"No, it'll be okay." Nick took it from his hands, sliding it onto his shoulders. He buttoned it up across his chest, smiling at the younger man as he tucked it into his jeans. "There's no way I'm missin' Christmas with you this year. Warrick even traded a few days with me and he loves his Christmas vacation." He stepped forwards as soon as his shirt was tucked in, wrapping his arms around Greg and his baby boy. "I love you." He pressed a kiss to his forehead. "I gotta get back to work."

"What time will you be in?"

"Three... maybe four." Nick shrugged his shoulders, sealing a quick kiss to his lips. "I'll try not to wake yah as I come in. I love you." He sealed one last kiss to his lips, gently brushing his thumb across his son's forehead. "Be a good boy for Papa." He smiled at him as he continued to sleep against Greg's chest. "Bye Sadie, Daddy's goin' to back to work." He called out to her, getting a brief glance from his daughter, before she continued to play with the toys she had laid out in front of her. "Bye." He blew a kiss towards his partner, reluctant to leave them again, but he had to get back.

"Bye." Greg waved goodbye to him, feeling as though his heart was breaking watching the man leaving the house once again. He turned his attention back to the baby in his arms, breathing in his soft scent as he continued to sleep. He was still completely adorable, even after all the sleep deprivation, but he was starting to miss Nick being around.

When he finally came back later that night, Nick went straight to raiding the fridge, trying to find something to eat. He found a posit note attached to the top shelf, smiling as he read 'Try the grill, Tex'. He turned for the oven, opening up the grill on top, finding a plate full of food. He grabbed a fork from the cutlery drawer, taking it through to the front room. He moved aside the toys from the sofa, making some room to catch up on some of his missed shows.

He kept the volume as low as he could, but after a few minutes or so, he heard Greg trudging down the stairs. He hit pause on the remote, opening his arms as the younger man practically fell into them.

"Mmm, you smell good." Nick lifted the younger man's legs over his, pressing a kiss to his neck. He watched him getting more comfortable against the arm of the sofa, smiling at him as he could barely keep his eyes open. "Were you sleepin'? Did I wake you?"

"No." Greg managed to shake his head, giving out a wide yawn. He dropped his head to the man's shoulder a moment later, closing his eyes. He breathed in the man's familiar comforting scent, dozing off to sleep within no time.

Reaching for the remote beside him, Nick hit play, holding his partner securely against his side as he watched the rest of his show. He listened to Greg's soft breathing the whole time, resting his head against the younger man's as he started to wheeze. He was amazed at how much the mass in his stomach had gone down already. He no longer looked about four months pregnant and the surgical incision in his abdomen looked almost completely healed as though it had never even happened.

The only proof was the screaming baby keeping him up all hours of the night.

Leaving Greg sleeping on the sofa, Nick quickly made his way up the stairs, carefully lifting his baby boy from the crib beside their bed. He pressed a kiss to his forehead, holding him securely against his chest as he grabbed the blanket and stuffed lamb from the crib. He took him downstairs, resting him against his shoulder as he started the prep for a new bottle.

"Oh, big yawn." He smiled at his son, gently patting him on the back while they waited. "Are you givin' Papa lots of trouble? You're supposed to be a good boy. Father Christmas will be here in a few days. Do you think you're gonna get lots of presents? I think Nana will have more presents for you then Santa."

"Talking to yourself, Nicky?" Greg appeared beside him, giving him a smile as looked round at him. "First sign of madness you know." He pulled himself up onto the counter, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"I was talkin' to my baby boy." Nick gently smoothed his hand up and down his back, giving the younger man a smile. "You should be sleepin'. You look exhausted."

"I will... eventually. Maybe when he leaves for college." He smirked.

"I'm sorry. I know this isn't easy."

"It's okay." Greg shrugged his shoulders together, gently combing his fingers back through Nick's hair. "It's not ideal not having you around, but I know it's not forever. I just don't want you to kill yourself trying to support us. As soon as Arthur's old enough, I can go back to work, maybe part time at first."

"What do you classify as old enough?" Nick gave him a curious look.

"I don't know." The man shrugged his shoulders together. "How old do they have to be for kindergarten?"

"I think kindergarten is when they're five years old. My sister said they can start pre-k around two or three, dependin' on their development. She said one of her boys weren't allowed in because he wasn't potty trained or talkin' yet."

"Do you think you'll start Sadie in pre-k?"

"I haven't really thought about it." The Texan shrugged his shoulders, pressing a kiss to his baby boy's forehead. "It might be good for her for just a few days a week, but she's still my baby girl, you know." He smiled at him, realising he did finally get it now. "We can decide later, when she's closer to bein' two. I want you to be involved in the decision too. She's not just my daughter. She's ours. I don't want her to feel different to her brother, just because he's biologically related to both of us and she isn't."

"She won't." Greg assured him. "I love her more than anything. And she is technically related to me now. She's Arthur's half sibling and he shares DNA with me. That also means I'm now related to Grace." He smiled at the man. "You know my Mom's back tomorrow. Dad recons he'll have the bathroom complete by tomorrow and your sister, Lily wants me to pass on the message of wishing you luck. What's she wishing you luck for?" He quickly tried to get off the subject of Grace.

"Oh, I was gonna tell you when I actually got it." Carefully transferring his son over to Greg's arms, Nick continued to make up the bottle, explaining, "I applied for the assistant supervisor position that opened up on swing shift. The hours are better, so I get to be with you more and I'll be second in command, so I get to pick my cases. I applied, but I doubt I'll get it. Warrick told me that Catherine's applied for the same position and Ecklie's in charge of the final decision. She has more experience than me and he's scared of her."

"And he hates you." Greg added, giving the man a playful smile. "I think he's jealous that you're so damn beautiful."

"Yeah?"

"Oh yeah." He nodded, adjusting the squirmy baby in his arms. "Don't they discuss those things with the board or something? Ecklie won't be the final decision maker and he can't play favourites. Besides, you're way more organised than Catherine."

"You're okay, if I do get it then?" He started shaking the bottle, expecting Greg to take it a different way.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be? I've always said that you have what it takes to be a supervisor. You're more of a people person than Grissom. You're more organised than Catherine. You're prettier and way more intelligent than Warrick. He does have a cool calm streak that you need to work on though. And... I'm still smarter than you." He cheekily giggled. "But you've definitely got me beat on your passion for helping those that need it the most. I hope you get it."

"Thank you." Nick leant forwards, sealing his lips to Greg's. "Now go to bed. I got this sorted. I'll be up in a minute." He gently lifted his baby boy from the younger man's arms, helping him to slide off the counter. "Is the pain any better?"

"Yeah, it just feels like a twinge now and then. Mostly when I move. It's not so bad though." Greg assured him, giving him a smile as he turned for the stairs. He hurried back to his room, sliding beneath the warm covers on his bed. He closed his eyes as soon as his head hit the pillow, but he couldn't fall back to sleep, no matter which position he tried. He rolled over as he heard the door opening, watching Nick carefully lowering the baby into the crib, ditching the diaper bag from his shoulder onto the dresser.

"One minute." Nick spoke softly, motioning towards the bathroom. He gave Greg a smile, quickly slipping into the bathroom to freshen up. He returned in just his boxers, crawling across the bed towards the headboard. "Your feet are freezin'." He slid in beside him, putting his arms around him to warm him up. "Have they been okay?"

"Yeah," Tilting his head back against Nick's chest, Greg closed his eyes, gently running his hand across the older man's arm around his chest. "I thought I got his feeding schedule cracked, but now he's been waking up every hour and a half for a feed, instead of every two. His diaper cries are more distinct than his hunger cries. And he still hates that pacifier thing. Whereas Sadie wouldn't give hers up for breakfast this morning."

Nick chuckled softly, pressing a kiss to the back of the adorable man's head. "She's gettin' stubborn. It must be the terrible twos creepin' up on us. I noticed the other day she's startin' to construct sentences together. I told her that baby Arthur couldn't feed himself his bottle yet and she said 'when baby do'."

"Really?" Greg giggled softly, opening his eyes as he tilted his head further back. "She must get that from you. Still no word from Grace I gather?"

"Nah, she can forget about seein' her for Christmas at this rate. I don't want any Grace drama this Christmas." He slid his arms tighter around Greg's body, holding him close enough to feel his heart pounding against his own. "I just want you, me and our family."

"We need a Christmas tree." Greg remembered, leaning further back against the beautiful man behind him. "At my house, we used to decorate the tree on the first of December. Sometimes we even had it up for thanksgiving. I've never had a tree since I've been on my own."

"Me either." Nick realised he didn't even have one for Sadie's first Christmas. "You know this is our first real Christmas together. I know we spent last Christmas with your folks before you were back off to work, but this is our first together in our own home with our family."

"And we don't have a tree or a Christmas decoration between us. I think I have a badge somewhere. It's like a Christmas reef thing with lights in it. The battery's dead though." He remembered, giving his boyfriend a wide smile. "You didn't have to go along with my Mom's plan to host Christmas, you know. You've just put another huge weight on our shoulders by trying to please her."

"She said that we didn't have to worry about a thing, because she was goin' to organise it, so I assume that means a tree and decorations too."

"Have you bought any Christmas presents yet?" Greg curiously asked him, tilting his head back to try and see his partner's eyes. "I wasn't going to ask what they were. I was just curious."

"I got some." Nick nodded slightly, gently brushing his fingers through his partner's hair. "You're not gonna argue with me about the exchangin' of presents thing this year are you?"

"No." He giggled softly, remembering last year's confusion over gifts. "I was just mad at you for buying me something, when I didn't realise that we were doing that. I never had a present from a boyfriend before and the guys at the lab pretty much ignore Christmas every time it comes around, so I didn't get you anything because I thought we were going to skip it too."

"I just wanted to get you somethin' to show you how much I loved you. And for puttin' up with me and Sadie for all that time."

"Have you got me something this year?" Greg tilted his head back, rolling himself over to lay flat against his partner's chest. "What did you get me?"

"You'll have to wait until Christmas Day to find out." He chuckled softly, weaving his fingers through Greg's. "I'm not tellin' you, G. You'll have to wait. It's not that long to wait now."

"I have ways of making you talk, Tex." Playfully tickling the man's sides, Greg pinned him beneath him, struggling to sit himself up on his hips. "I can make you squirm to get it out of you."

"Hey, you're not supposed to for six months..." Nick sat himself up, holding the younger man's hips securely into place so he couldn't grind against him. "You could pop a stitch or somethin', then we'd end up back in hospital."

"We can... without popping any stitches. Besides, the stitches are basically healed." He lifted his pyjama top, showing Nick the wound up close for the first time in weeks. "There's nothing to pop... it's just tender."

"There's still the stuff on the inside though, G. They cut through your muscle and tissue to get to the baby."

"Do you have to worry all the time?" He slid his hand down his partner's firm chest, dipping his hand beneath the rim of his boxers. He brushed his lips across Nick's, smiling as he watched his eyes rolling back into his head from the simple action. "I've missed you." He playfully ground his hips against Nick's, flinching slightly from the pain in his side.

"See, I said..." Nick pried his hand out from his boxers, sealing a kiss to his lips. "I don't wonna hurt you, baby. You need to heal." He glanced towards the doorway as he heard the familiar cry of his baby girl, gently moving Greg off his hips to the bed beside him. "Rain check?"

"I guess." Greg sighed softly, crashing back against his pillow. He let Nick tend to his crying baby girl down the hall, while he finally started to doze off to sleep. He woke up less than an hour later to his son's cries, feeling the bed shifting and the warmth beside him leaving as Nick clambered out of bed to tend to him. He felt him returning a short while later, keeping his eyes closed as the man snuggled in beside him.

Somehow he managed to sleep straight through until morning, hearing Arthur's familiar hunger cry beside him. He turned to check on his sleeping bed mate, before he struggled to get out of bed to scoop out the screaming infant before he woke up the rest of the house.

He didn't think he'd ever get used to the total lack of sleep or the distance it was putting between him and Nick, but he only had to stare down into the eyes of his beautiful baby boy to remind himself why he was putting himself through all of this.

It was all for him.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading. Four more chapters to go, along with a short** **epilogue then it's complete.**

 **Enjoy the rest of your week!**

 **~ Holly**


	17. Chapter 17 - Festive Season

**Chapter Seventeen - Festive Season**

"Wrong, Tex. The first step is always the lights. If you don't do the lights first, then you have to try and tangle it through all the ornaments and stuff. You always do lights first." Greg insisted, holding out the box of multi coloured LED lights that he and his mother had just picked up from the store. He smiled as the older man reluctantly took the box from his hands, taking it over to their empty tree. "When have you gotta be at work?" He queried, taking a seat on the sofa. He hated that he had to work on the day before Christmas.

"Uh..." Nick glanced at his empty wrist, searching the room for a clock. "About an hour, I think. I'll be back tonight, just after eleven then I'm off with you." He smiled round at his partner, un-boxing the lights he had in his hands. "You excited for Christmas, baby?"

"More nervous than excited." He confessed, lifting the box of ornaments from the floor. "My family I can deal with, but yours... I feel like I have to be on my best behaviour or something, otherwise they're gonna look at you and think what the hell are you doing with me."

"Hey, you don't have to impress them." Nick knelt down in front of him, placing his hands on the younger man's knees. "You are amazin', just as you are and they're gonna see that if you just be yourself. Most of them know you anyway. The only ones you haven't met is my sister, Kayla and her husband. Vicki's not comin' because her daughter's sick, but you know my brother and my sister, Gwen. Lily you haven't met, but you've spoken to her enough on the phone." He leant forwards, capturing the younger man's lips for a kiss. "If you just be yourself, they're gonna see the same thing I do in you and they'll love you."

"Good Morning." Jean spoiled their moment, giving them a smile as they pulled apart. "You're up early aren't you? It's barely six."

"I've been up since four." Greg motioned towards the sleeping baby boy just a few feet away from them. "And Nick has to go to work soon, so he thought we should decorate our first tree together." He smiled as his mother glanced towards the empty tree in the room. "We had breakfast first. There's some more eggs in the fridge if you want some."

"No thank you, I was just going to grab a coffee. Where's your father?"

Greg pointed through to the closed door of the other living room, where his father had been snoring away for the past hour or so. "I think he's still sleeping. Is Sadie awake?"

"Nope, still snoring away. Don't let me interrupt." She made her way through to the kitchen, starting up a fresh pot of coffee to start the day.

Nick stole a quick kiss from his boyfriend's lips, before he turned back for the tree behind him. He started wrapping the lights around it from the bottom up, standing back as Greg made a few adjustments to make the lights stand out a little more. "Uh, they don't work, G." Nick flicked the switch on and off a few times, but the lights didn't turn on. "You probably shoulda checked that first."

"You opened the box. You shoulda done it." Greg knelt down, gently checking that each of the tiny bulbs were screwed in. He grinned widely as they all suddenly came on, lighting up the whole tree. "Geek one. Jock zero." He reached for Nick's hand to help him to his feet, playfully poking him in the side. "I can't wait to do this with the kids. My Mom used to wait until I finished up school, so we could all decorate the tree together. My Dad would have the whole day off. We'd have hot chocolate and mince pies on Christmas eve, leaving out milk, cookies and carrots for Santa and his reindeer. I figured out who was really eating them when I came down for a glass of water one night. Nana Olaf drank the milk, while Papa Olaf chomped down every last cookie, making sure there were crumbs on the plate. He bit off the end of the carrots, leaving them so I thought the reindeer were there too."

"My Grandma used to do stuff like that. My Mama used to insist on doin' it all herself though. My sisters always argued over what to put where. My brother never wanted to do it. He thought it was lame and my Mama got sick of all the arguments, so we were all banished from bein' able to decorate the tree anymore."

"Here." Greg handed him the box of ornaments. "You can do the honours. When I was little, my Mom let me decorate the tree, but I'd always catch her moving something I put up to a spot that she preferred."

"Only when you were really little," The woman overheard, jumping in to defend herself. "You could only reach the bottom branches then. We used to end up with everything all around the bottom of the tree and nothing else going all the way up, except the star that your father used to lift you up to place. You'd cry if we ever tried to do it without you."

"It was my job." Greg smiled back at her. "We should wake Sadie up for the star." He picked it up from the sofa, showing it off to his partner. "Do you like it? Unless you would prefer this one." He grabbed the second ornament, showing him the little cherub angel they picked out. "The wings light up if you put a battery in it."

"The star." Nick pointed to it. "I've never had an angel on the Christmas Tree."

"Told yah, Mom." Greg grinned at his mother, looking round at the baby as the doorbell started to chime. "Who's that?"

"Probably, Warrick." Ditching the ornaments, Nick rushed for the front door, spotting the man's car at the foot of the drive. "Hey, you're early." He ushered him inside, pointing him through to the front room. "We were just settin' up our Christmas tree."

"On Christmas eve?" Warrick smirked, "I've had mine up since the tenth."

"We've been busy." Nick motioned towards the walls in the front room. "We've had the whole place redecorated in time for Christmas."

"Hey, Greg. Hi, Mrs Sanders." Warrick greeted them both, before he leant over the crib to look at the sleeping baby boy inside. "He looks more and more like you every time I see him." He smiled up at Greg. "You getting any sleep yet, Greggo?"

"Not a lot." Greg sighed softly, taking a seat on the sofa. He watched Nick giving the older man the tour, leaving their tree empty as he rushed upstairs to get ready for work. He returned a few minutes later, pressing a kiss to the sleeping baby boy's forehead, before he leant across the sofa to press a kiss to Greg's lips.

"I love you." He leant closer, wrapping his arm tightly around the younger man's shoulders. "I'll be home tonight, but don't wait up." Nick sealed one last kiss to his lips, gently brushing his thumb across his chin. "We can finish the tree tomorrow mornin'."

"On Christmas morning?" Greg gave him a frown.

"Yeah, my family won't be here until Boxin' day, so there's no rush. Don't do it without me." He smiled against his lips, stealing another quick kiss as his co-worker impatiently cleared his throat behind him. "I gotta go."

"Be careful." He called after him, remaining put on the sofa as he listened to the car pulling away. He glanced at their unfinished Christmas tree, spotting his mother watching him from the doorway. "What?"

"Nothing, just you took that very well, sweetheart. If I had told you that we weren't going to decorate the tree until Christmas Day, you would have thrown a fit. It just shows how much you've grown." She smiled at him, even though she could still see the disappointment on his face. "C'mon, we've got lots to do today. Have you wrapped all your presents yet? Where's your special present for Nick?"

"Sara has it." Greg struggled to get up from the sofa, making sure that Arthur was still sleeping, before he joined his mother in the kitchen. "Do you think I should give it to him Christmas Day or Boxing Day when his family is here?"

"Christmas." She answered right away, grabbing an extra mug for her son. "If you do it Boxing Day, he might feel embarrassed or uncomfortable in front of his family. Christmas day will be more intimate for the two of you. Does he have any idea?"

"Not a clue. Only Sara knows. And you, so there's no way he can know."

"I told Nana and your father." The woman confessed, giving him a guilty smile. "They'll keep it quiet. They haven't said anything so far. They're both very happy for you. I think I can hear your father getting up now." She heard the door opening, quickly skipping away to greet him, before her son had the chance to scold her. "Good Morning, how's the back?"

"It's been better. I think it'd be better if I slept on the floor." He smirked, greeting her with a hug. "Did I hear Nick leaving already?" He glanced through to the front room, realising the Christmas tree was still empty. "Is Greg okay?"

"I'm fine." He called back to his father, wishing they would stop treating him like a child. He had two baby's to look after himself, he didn't need to be babied by his house guests.

Realising the time, Greg pushed himself up from the sofa, making his way upstairs to wake Sadie up. If he let her sleep any longer, he knew she'd only be cranky later for her afternoon nap. He hated to wake a sleeping baby, but he had no other choice if he wanted some peace later.

"I'm sorry." Greg spoke softly, before he scooped his hands beneath the sleeping baby, lifting her free from her cot. She still had her pacifier in her mouth and her hair was adorably flattened on the side of her head she had been laying on. "Good Morning, sleepy girl." He gently tugged the pacifier from her mouth, getting a slight whimper of protest as she started to wake up. He grabbed some clean clothes and a fresh diaper for her, before he carried her across the hall to his own bedroom.

Gently laying Sadie on the end of his bed, Greg smiled at her as she adorably brushed the sleep from her eyes, looking around the room. She lay completely still as he changed her diaper, dressing her in the denim dress he picked out for her. She tried to help with the buckle fastenings, but she was too sleepy to be able to fasten it herself.

Greg pressed a kiss to her forehead, lifting her up once again to take her down to breakfast. She held onto the banister railing as they made their way down, waving to her Nana and Granddad in the kitchen as Greg got her set up at her high chair. "The rest of the bacon is in the fridge door." He caught his mother searching the fridge. "You got any idea what you're doing for dinner on Boxing day?"

"I thought you wanted just the traditional Turkey dinner." She held the door open for her son, letting him gather what he needed for Sadie's oatmeal. "I'm pretty sure Texas style Christmas dinner is just the same as ours, only bigger. Especially with seven children around the table, each with their own husband or wife and all the children. The bird Mrs Stokes uses must be huge."

"I think I heard Nick say that they usually have three turkeys as well as a ham. Did you buy the turkey?" He quickly checked, sounding a little panicked. It was only the main event of Nick's family coming over. "I read you're supposed to let it thaw out like three days in advance or something."

"Relax, the bird is fine and that's only if you buy frozen. I've never had to thaw my turkey for three days. I stick it in the oven Christmas morning ready for a late lunch then we have it in sandwiches the next day. Relax, I know what I'm doing. I've been making Christmas dinner just fine since before you were born." Jean gave her son a reassuring smile. "Just relax, you're supposed to be enjoying this time with your family, not freaking out over every little thing."

"I'm not freaking out. I was just asking." Greg playfully stuck his tongue out at her, grabbing a banana from the fruit bowl. "For Christmas next year, we're not going to do anything. We're just gonna have a tree, quiet Christmas dinner and a few presents for the kids. No fuss." He chopped up the banana into little pieces, placing it on Sadie's tray table while he mixed up her oatmeal.

"You can come round ours again. If both of you take the time off work, it'll be a little vacation for you. There's too much milk in that." She back seat parented him again.

"Didn't we agree that you wouldn't interfere? No back seat parenting or you can't stay." Greg reminded her, taking the bowl over to Sadie. "She likes it mushy. Don't you?" He pulled up a seat in front of her, mixing up the bowl of oatmeal while she picked up the pieces of banana with her pincer grip.

"So, what's the plan for today?" Daniel remerged after getting showered and changed, taking a seat beside his son at the counter. "Any Christmas Eve adventures lined up?"

"Do we really have to do anything?" All Greg felt like doing at the moment was sleeping, but he couldn't even do that at the moment with the baby's hectic schedules in his life. "I remember when I was little, Christmas Eve used to feel like a magical day. Now it just feels like any other day."

"You used to try and stay awake for as long as you could on Christmas Eve." Daniel remembered, giving his son a smile. "We used to take you ice skating. Write your Christmas list and hang it in your stocking over the fire place. Watch Christmas movies. Take you to the Mall to visit Santa's grotto. You'd never go sit on his lap though. You just wanted to watch the other kids going up to him for an hour or so, before we went home."

"After dinner we'd have to set up everything for Santa and is reindeer." Jean added, turning for the stove. "We'd burn the Christmas lists in the fire with the magic reindeer glitter, then we'd sit and watch the fire crackle until you fell asleep. Once you were out, your father carried you up to bed, while we set the scene for the morning. The second you woke up you'd run straight down those stairs, make sure Santa actually came, before you ran back up to wake everyone up. You couldn't open your presents unless everyone else was awake and you'd cry if Papa Olaf even asked for one more minute under the covers."

"Well that was our tradition," Greg started spoon feeding the cereal to the baby, giving her a smile as she smacked her lips together after one gulp. "Sadie and Arthur won't remember any of this, so we don't really have to do any of that stuff. And Nick isn't even here."

"So," His mother chuckled softly. "It doesn't mean that you should just ignore the fact that it's Christmas Eve today. You can make memories now and tell them about it when they're older. It's your son's first Christmas, you have to do something. If you don't want to go out then we can stay in and do something."

Greg gave her a slight nod, gently scrapping the oatmeal from Sadie's chin. "Our neighbour, Donna was having a Christmas Grotto thing in her backyard for the neighbourhood kids. She said it's like an Easter Egg hunt, only the kids have to find candy canes in her garden. She said we could stop by."

"Candy canes will rot the very few teeth Sadie has."

"Well she won't eat the candy canes then," Greg sighed, handing the bowl over to his father as he heard the baby crying in the other room. "She's the one neighbour who actually decided to introduce herself to us when we first moved in." He informed his mother, gently lifting the baby out of the crib. He could smell the problem that woke him right away, making him feel a little queasy. "You don't have to come with me if you don't want to, but she seems nice. Nice enough, anyway. She seems a lot friendlier than the others."

Laying his son on the change mat, Greg cringed as he carefully unbuttoned him from his onesie, revealing the problem all up his little back.

"You mean you've actually talked to your neighbours?" His mother said it as though it was a surprise.

"I'm home all day and all night. So yeah, I've talked to a few of them." He confessed, pulling the diaper bag closer to begin clearly up the mess. "There's a couple of lesbians down the street. I've met one of them, Stacey. She walks her dogs up this way towards the trail sometimes. She said her wife's name is Lally, but I've never met her."

"Lally?" Jean frowned, joining him in the front room to give him a hand. "That's an unusual name. Do they have any children?"

"A two year old boy and Lally is four months pregnant with what they hope is a girl." He showed off his neighbourly skills, giving his mother a smug smile. "Across the road there's Keith. He's a tree surgeon and his wife's a surgeon. They met when he fell out of a tree and broke his leg. They have four girls. One's in her teens. Oh and there's a lady down the road who has six cats and nine dogs. She works at an animal shelter and she fosters the animals out to all the locals round here. Nick wants me to go there with him to pick out a dog. But I don't think we're ready for one. Plus I'd be the one looking after it at the moment."

"You didn't have the heart to tell him that you don't like dogs?" His father asked, gently wiping off Sadie's chin after she swallowed the last bite of her breakfast.

"I don't not like dogs. I just never wanted one." Greg corrected him, slipping a fresh diaper beneath his son. He swatted away his mother's hands to stop her from helping, so he could button him back into his onesie. "So, do you wonna come with me or not?" He looked between his parents, hoping at least one of them would come with him, so he didn't have to try and hold two baby's the whole time.

"I'll go with you." His mother sprang to her feet, hurrying back to the kitchen to serve up the bacon and eggs, before they burnt. "But you have to eat something first. Sit. I'll take the baby." She gently lifted her grandson from his arms. "Eat. I'll go check on Nana and tell her breakfast is ready. She'll probably want to come with us. Are you coming, Daniel?"

"I don't wonna stay home alone." Daniel smiled at her, lifting Sadie out of the highchair to sit with him at the table. "Besides, it's Christmas Eve. Families are meant to be together on Christmas Eve." He hugged his granddaughter tightly in his arms, not even noticing the look on Greg's face. He wished that Nick could be here with them, but instead he was getting a taste of what it was like for Nick last year when it was just himself and Sadie stuck home alone all the time.

"I miss Nick." He sighed softly, resting against his elbow against the counter, slowly finishing off the rest of his breakfast. He reluctantly got himself dressed after breakfast, leading his family across the block to his neighbours Christmas grotto party.

"Greg, you made it." Donna greeted him at the door, ushering him inside. "I'm glad you bought your family. Come in, come in." She smiled at them all, recognising Greg's mother straight away from the pictures Greg had shown her.

"This is my Mom and Dad, Jean and Daniel." Greg introduced her to them first, adjusting Arthur in his arms as he stepped into her house for the first time. It didn't look as nice as his freshly painted hallway, but he could already tell that she had a very vibrant taste for colours. "And this is my Nana Olaf with Sadie."

"Hello, lovely to meet you all. C'mon through, my parents and my husband are out in the garden with the children." Donna led them through the kitchen in her bright summer dress, showing off her snow covered Christmas tree in the front room, before she took them into the grotto in the back garden. "This is my husband, Grant." She introduced Greg to him first, before she ushered over her children. "And our son, Donovan." She motioned towards the five year old, before she lifted the little toddler from her mother's arms. "And this is our daughter, Stephy. She's one and a half, so she might be starting school the same time as your Sadie."

"Hi." Greg gently shook the baby's little hand, missing the introduction of Donna's parents as he was so focused on the baby in her arms. She looked a little bit bigger than Sadie, but she had the same cheeky smile and innocent glaze to her eyes.

Leaving Arthur in his mother's arms, Greg joined in with the candy cane hunt through the Christmas grotto with Donovan, Stephy and Sadie, meeting some more of the neighbourhood kids on their way through the elves den, past the tower of huge Christmas presents then into the workshop of toys.

"I got three." Greg dropped into the empty seat beside his father, placing his winnings on the table. He smiled as Nana Olaf immediately snatched up one, peeling off the wrapping to pop in her mouth. "That kid Donovan was hoarding them. He must have spied his Mom stashing them away." He scooped up, Sadie as she hurried towards him, letting her dump her stash of four candy canes on the table in front of them.

"You found four?" Jean gave her wide smile. "You did much better than your Papa. I saw she opened one in the Christmas presents tower."

"Yeah, you didn't like it though did you? She dropped it straight on the floor as soon as she tasted it." Greg lifted her against his chest, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Your Daddy will be proud. He doesn't allow any sweets in the house."

"No sweets." Donna dropped her jaw, joining them at the table. "I haven't met Nick yet, but from what you have said, he doesn't sound like the strict type." She lifted her daughter, Stephy into her arms, keeping an eye on her as she sucked on the candy cane in her mouth. "My kids love their sweets."

"He's not really that strict. He's a sweetheart really." Jean defended her future son in law. "He's just a type A kind of guy. That need for control drive. But I wouldn't say he's strict. Greg's probably more strict than he is." She smiled at her son, adjusting her grandson in her arms as he started to wake up. "We might be needing a bottle over here soon."

"I gave the bag to Nana." Greg motioned towards the woman, stood talking to a few of his neighbours. She appeared to be a lot more social than the rest of them, as she had already introduced herself to at least half the block. "That's Stacey." He pointed his mother towards the woman.

"Yeah, she's here with Lally." Donna pointed out the pregnant woman, helping herself to the table of food by the back door. "The little boy in the elf costume over there is their son, Carter. He's cute isn't he? Stacey carried him, after being implanted with one of Lally's fertilised eggs. Now Lally's carrying their second one using one of Stacey's fertilised eggs. They used the same male donor, so I guess their kids will still be technically related." She filled them in the juicy gossip. "I think Stacey has a teenage daughter from a previous relationship with a guy, but the daughter lives with the ex because she doesn't like her mother's girlfriend or something."

Leaving Donna to fill his mother in on the latest gossip, Greg took Sadie through Santa's grotto once again. They managed to find two more candy canes, before Donna's husband remerged from the house in his Santa outfit. He didn't quite fill it out being a slender cyclist, but the kids started jumping with joy the second he arrived.

"Do you wonna go see Santa?" His mother joined him with his son. "C'mon, Greg. He's a pretty cute Santa."

"I don't need to ask Santa for anything. All I want for Christmas is Nick to marry me."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! Please review.**

 **4 more chapters to go.**

 **~ Holly**


	18. Chapter 18 - Holiday Spirit

**Chapter Eighteen - Holiday Spirit**

Pulling back the curtain to his bedroom window, Greg glanced out at the street outside, seeing a few lights on already. It was only five in the morning, but he suspected many of the children in the neighbourhood were already trying to drag their parents out of bed, eager to see what Father Christmas had left them under their Christmas trees. He turned back to his own bed, looking between the two sleeping baby's on his bedspread. He crawled back onto the bed with them, checking his phone for any messages for the hundredth time. He got a message from his absent partner around midnight last night to tell him that he wouldn't be home when he expected, but he didn't give him any details or a time to expect him, only making him worry more.

Closing his eyes, Greg listened to the baby's soft little breaths, realising they still had an empty Christmas tree downstairs. He wiped his hand across the tear running down his cheek, wishing Nick could walk through that door right now to make everything alright again. By himself, he couldn't even organise his kids first Christmas in their new house.

"Greg." There was a light knock against his door, before they gently opened, revealing his mother in the gap. "You have them both in here." She smiled, looking at the sleeping baby's beside him. "I was just going to see if you needed a hand with them, but I see you have it all under control. Did you already feed him his bottle?"

"Yep." Greg gently placed his hand over his baby boy's chest. "He didn't even cry this time. I just heard him gurgling. He smiled too."

Jean smiled back at him, taking a few steps closer to the bed to watch her sleeping grandchildren. "They have no idea it's Christmas Day do they? Just sleeping away like it's an ordinary day." She caught the look in her son's eyes, giving him a sympathetic smile. "You know how it works at the lab, sweetheart. You know he would be here in a heartbeat if he had the choice. This time last year, you were the one working, while Nick and Sadie were waiting for you to arrive, so they could start opening their presents."

"So this is payback? I had it coming."

"No." The woman shook her head, reaching out for his hand. "I'm saying that man completely adores you. He'd never do anything to intentionally hurt you. If he could be here, he would. Without a doubt. He'll make it back for Christmas with his kids too. He's more devoted to his family then he is to work."

"You didn't see Nick before he had the baby." Greg pointed out to her, placing his hand over Sadie's little foot. "All he cared about was work. He ate microwave burritos, avoided any social calls, except the ones from lucky ladies looking to get into his pants. I was thinking about how he used to be the other day. And I wondered if he'd go back to how he used to be before all of this, now he's not stuck home with a baby all the time."

"If you're thinking that him not being here means he's cheating on you, you should think again. We were all different people before we met the one we wanted to be with. Different ambitions, visions of the future. Once we find what we're looking for, we realise that we want a whole lot of different things then we ever wanted before. Look at you, mister 'I'm never getting married, falling in love or ever having any children'." She grinned in his direction. "You've fallen in love. You have two beautiful baby's with a gorgeous man and you're about to take the plunge and ask him to marry you. Nick adores you. He wouldn't do a thing to jeopardise what you have."

"Sometimes I wonder. If I hadn't have been there for him with Sadie, would he have gone back to Grace? They could have had their perfect happy family. Even better, his mother would still be talking to him."

"With the Mom that forgets her own daughter's name and the closeted gay man?" The woman couldn't help but laugh, rolling her eyes at her son. "You have the wrong idea of what a family is. You already told me that the woman tried to put Sadie up for adoption. She tried to say that Nick wasn't her father, so he couldn't keep her. And now she can't even be bothered to take time out of her life to see her daughter on her birthday or Christmas. There's no way Nick would have gone back to her after all of that. Gay or not, he can see straight through what she really is."

"Funny, because she was exactly the type of woman that he always went for. If he didn't end up with her, he'd have ended up with someone very similar to her." Greg gently brushed a stray eyelash from Sadie's cheek, watching the two of them peacefully sleeping beside him without a care in the world. "If I had never kissed him, they both could have had very different lives."

"And your son wouldn't even exist." His mother pointed out to him. "Are you saying that's what you want?"

Greg shook his head, wiping his hand across his tired eyes. "I was just wondering what it would have been like if I had never kissed him that day in the locker room. It's nearly a year and half ago now, but it feels like a lifetime. I don't even remember what it's like to live alone anymore. I used to love it, but now I crave the noise." He quickly snatched up his phone as it started to ring, putting it on silent before it woke the baby's.

"Do you need me to take it?" Jean offered.

"It's just Sara, she was gonna call as soon as she got off her shift." Greg eased himself off the bed, quickly taking the phone through to the bathroom. "Good Morning." He answered her.

"Hi, did I wake you?" Sara turned her wrist to check the time, gritting her teeth together as she realised how early it was. "Sorry, I thought it was a lot later. This place is crazy. I'm lucky to be going home at all. Three new cases just passed across Grissom's desk. What is it about the holidays that make people go insane?"

"It must be the stress of it all. I heard that there's more divorces around the holidays too. In laws, family, presents... you have no idea how stressful a big family Christmas is. Have you seen, Nick?" He changed the subject, perching himself on the edge of the bath tub, listening to her making her way through the busy halls of the lab.

"I saw him and Warrick about an hour or so ago. They're working some murder, suicide serial killer thing that popped up in LA a few months back. High profile case, it's been all over the news all night. I suppose you've been sleeping though. I always forget that people are sleeping while we're stuck here working." She waved to her colleague in the hallway, making her way through to the locker room. "So are you up and ripping open presents yet?"

"I don't think Santa's been yet. Our Christmas tree isn't even finished." He smirked. "Are you still coming over later?"

"For Christmas dinner, of course. I can't wait. I picked out some things for your kids too, so they don't think I'm the bad Aunt. Speaking of, do you still want me to bring round that special present for Nick or did you finally get your cold feet?"

"I thought that's not until the wedding day?" Greg felt butterflies in his stomach about the main event, but he was still pissed that Nick wasn't here when he said that he would be. "I haven't changed my mind. Do you still think that it's a good idea?"

"If you love him, which I know you do. Yes, absolutely. I think it's a really great idea, especially because he won't expect it."

"Okay, don't forget it. I'll see you later." Greg waited for her to hang up first, before he returned to his bedroom. He gave his mother a smile as he returned to his spot on the bed, feeling the butterflies in his stomach again. "You remember meeting, Sara don't you?"

"The butch one?" The woman nodded, vaguely remembering meeting her a few times.

"She's not that butch. She's just got a harder exterior than most people. She's just... had a lot to deal with." Greg didn't want to spill out her whole history to his mother, so he opted to just keep quiet. "Besides, you have to like her. She's like the big sister I never had."

"When I first met her, I thought you were introducing me to your butch girlfriend. Your choice of adorable southern boy's is much better though." She snickered, gently patting him on the knee. "Why don't you try to get a few more hours of sleep? It looks like they're going to be out for a few more hours." She motioned towards the baby's as she pushed herself to her feet. "Your father and I can get everything set up downstairs for when they wake up."

"You don't have to do that."

"Don't be silly. My Grandchildren need their Christmas tree up for Christmas Day. Nick hasn't had any sleep yet, so it's probably the last thing on his mind. You'll just have to plan better next year, so both of you can be off the same time." She gave him a smile. "Get some sleep, sweetheart."

Greg slid down his headboard, giving out a wide yawn as he nestled against his pillow. He waved to his mother as she left the room, gently putting his arms around the baby's beside him. They were protected by the extra pillows he had used as barriers, but he didn't have Nick on the other side to help keep watch over them as they slept. He tried to keep his eyes open for as long as he could, but sleep got the better of him after a while.

His mother started a pot of coffee an hour later, waking her husband up to the familiar scent. They got started on decorating the Christmas tree together, trying to scatter the few ornaments Greg had across the tree to try and make it feel a little more festive, rather than just a dead tree in their front room.

"Is that Nick?" Jean abandoned the tree a moment, making her way over to the window to look outside. She saw the sports car pull up at the end of the drive, standing back to watch Nick climbing out of Warrick's car. He stayed on the curb a moment to wave his friend off, before he hurried up the driveway towards his front door. "Good Morning." She startled him. "Can I get you some breakfast?"

"Mornin'. No thank you, I'm gonna grab a shower." He pointed up the stairs, spotting the Christmas tree with lights and ornaments all over it. "Wow, looks good. You got it all done already?"

"Yeah, do you like it? Greg's upstairs sleeping with the baby's, so we thought we'd get everything set up for you."

"Thank you, Mrs Sanders."

"Call me, Jean. And you're very welcome, sweetheart." The woman stepped forwards to give him a quick hug. "Merry Christmas, sweetheart."

"Merry Christmas." He hugged her back, trying not to get too choked up as Daniel leant forwards to hug him a moment later.

"Merry Christmas, son." The man gently patted him on the back.

"You can grab a few hours of sleep if you want. Greg's only just fallen asleep. We can keep ourselves entertained for a few hours. We've got a Christmas dinner to plan." Jean gave him another quick hug, sending him on his way.

Nick smiled at the two of them, leaving them to it while he made his way upstairs. He eased the door open to his bedroom, smiling at the three people he loved most in the world snuggled up in bed together. He carefully leant across the bed to press a kiss to each of their beautiful foreheads, leaving them sleeping as he made his way through to the bathroom for a quick shower after his long shift.

He remerged a few minutes later with a towel wrapped around his waist, brushing the water droplets from his eyes as he made his way over to his wardrobe for something to wear. He found a comfortable t-shirt and some boxers, crawling in beside his partner on the bed. He pressed a kiss to the side of his head, gently slipping his arm around him as he continued to sleep.

"Ow," Nick flinched, feeling the younger man's fingers jab in his side. "I thought you were sleepin'. What was that for?" He whispered softly, feeling a chill running down his spine as the younger man's beautiful eyelashes started to flutter open.

"You're late." Greg rolled over onto his back, giving out a wide yawn as he looked up into his partner's eyes. They were so beautiful he forgave him almost immediately. "You missed Santa's grotto. Sadie tasting a candy cane for the first time. Arthur puking on Santa's shoulder." He adjusted his arm, letting Nick get closer to him. "I think the excitement got to your son. He wouldn't sleep last night. Dad tried. Nana Olaf tried. Even Mom tried, but he just wouldn't sleep."

"You got him to sleep now." Nick brushed his hand down the man's side, looking at their baby boy fast asleep beside him.

"From exhaustion." Greg smiled up at him. "He finally fell asleep to that southern crone music you listen to. Either that or he was pretending to sleep, just so he didn't have to listen to it anymore."

"Ha, ha..." Nick playfully jabbed him in the side, capturing his lips for a kiss. "It's a lot more soothin' then that heavy metal trash you listen to." He teased him, swinging his leg over Greg's, moving himself into position to straddle his hips. "At least there's some lyrics and romance to the music I listen to."

"Romance in whining hicks?" Greg giggled softly, placing his hands over Nick's on his hips. "That stuff makes me want to tear my ears off before they've even got to any kind of chorus." He grinned as his partner playfully nipped at his lips, pulling him in for a more romantic kiss. He placed his hands on the backs of Nick's thighs, groaning softly as he heard the familiar cries of his son coming from beside him. "Your son has impeccable timing."

"Funny how he's my son not ours whenever he does that." Nick smirked, reaching out for his squirming infant before he woke his sister. He pressed a kiss to his cheek, patting his little back as he rested him against his shoulder. "You just wanted to see your Daddy, didn't you?" He smiled at him, gently brushing his thumb across his tiny cheek. "Did you miss me? I missed you."

The younger man smiled up at them both, realising his decision to pop the question to him was the right choice. He just couldn't bear the wait up to it. He wanted to tell him now, but he didn't even have the ring on him or the right lines to say. He had been worrying about what to say since he first picked up the ring. It had been driving him crazy keeping it quiet for this long, he didn't think he could last another day around him, but he had to hold on for just a little bit longer.

"Wow, look at that Christmas Tree." Greg stepped off the stairs with Sadie in his arms, pointing her attention towards the bright lights. "Does that mean Santa's been? Do you think he's left you lots of presents?" He took her closer, letting her take a look at the brightly wrapped presents that had been placed under the tree. "Do you think that's one of yours?" He pointed her towards the big box. "Do you? Did Santa bring you the biggest present ever, because you're such a good little girl?"

Sadie pointed in the same direction, looking around at the presents with a curious look in her eyes.

Greg pecked a kiss to her cheek, taking her through to the kitchen where his mother was whipping up a batch of her traditional Christmas egg bake breakfast. "Mmm, smells good, Mom. Morning." He stepped past his father, taking a seat beside him at the table. "The tree looks really good. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Daniel reached for Sadie's little hand, giving her a smile as she gurgled softly. "Is Nick gonna catch up on his sleep now?"

"Nope, he's just changing Arthur's diaper. Sara's coming over later for Christmas dinner, so he's gonna wait until tonight to crash. Hey, where's Nana?" He saw the guest room was empty on his way down and there was no sign of her downstairs. "She didn't go home did she?"

"No, she's in the garden." Jean motioned towards the window, watching her mother getting her hands dirty in the flower beds. "Every Christmas morning she'd be out there in the garden. I could never open my Christmas presents until she had finished one of her little gardening projects."

"She misses, Papa Olaf." Greg reminded her, pecking a kiss to Sadie's forehead. "Look there's Daddy." He smiled at the adorable man, trying to keep the excitement in as the man he adored joined them in the kitchen.

"Good Morning, Nicky." Jean greeted him with a sunny smile. "There's coffee on the table and breakfast is almost ready."

"Thank you, ma'am. Merry Christmas." He pecked a kiss to his mother in law's cheek, before he handed his son over to Daniel at the table. He turned for the fridge to make up some formula for the baby's, noticing a picture tacked to the fridge of Greg and his children at the Christmas grotto. He brushed his thumb across the picture, smiling as he turned back to his family. "Catherine texted me. She's already knee deep in snow with Lindsey."

"I miss snow." Jean sighed softly, grabbing some plates from the cupboard. "I don't think I've had a snowy Christmas since I was about ten years old."

"We get snow in Texas. When I was a kid, we had nearly ten inches of the stuff around the house one Christmas. I love it out there Christmas time. I still can't get used to the sun shinin' all year round over here."

"Greg's never even seen snow." Daniel pointed out to him. "You were still just a baby for that Christmas we spent in New York when it snowed."

"I don't really like the cold, so I'm not bothered." Greg smiled, letting Sadie examine his fingers, while he broke the news to his parents. "Nick thinks that we should spend next year's Christmas in Texas with his family, so I might get to see some snow."

"Oh." His mother sounded a little disappointed, serving out the egg bake onto the plates she had on the counter. "Well, if that's what your plan is, then it's fine by us. We've never spent a Christmas without you, but you have more family than just us now." She dropped Greg's plate in front of him rather heavily, noticing the look on her husband's face telling her let it go. She placed down the other plates with a soft sigh, before she dropped into her chair. "You'll have two toddlers by next year."

"You might even have another." Nana Olaf stepped through the back door, giving her grandson a wide smile. "You never know."

"I hope not. Three under the age of three sounds like a nightmare." Greg lifted Sadie into his partner's arms, freeing up his hands to grab some cutlery. He couldn't believe how hungry he was today. He hadn't had an appetite for weeks since the c-section, but the familiar aroma of Christmas around him had suddenly made him very hungry. He polished off his breakfast within no time, taking Arthur off his father's hands to give him his bottle, while his mother started Sadie on her cereal.

As soon as Arthur finished up with his bottle, Greg couldn't wait to head into the living room and start opening presents, but he had to wait for everyone else to finish first. He always hated that part. He felt like an anxious child as he sat there waiting, receiving a smile from his boyfriend as he saw him anxiously fidgeting in his seat.

"I suppose we better make a start on those Christmas presents." Nana Olaf suggested, seeing the excitement on her grandson's face.

"Presents." Greg playfully tickled his son in his arms, seeing a slight smile appearing on his little lips. He climbed to his feet with the baby a moment later, leaving Nick to grab Sadie as they made their way through to the front room. "Where do we start? Huh." He pressed a playful kiss to his son's cheek, sitting himself on the floor against the sofa. "Do we go with the biggest one first or do we leave it until last because it's probably the biggest and best one. It could just be a huge box of socks though. Mean Nanny played that trick on me once. Who wants socks for Christmas?"

"Dork." Nick snickered softly, squeezing in beside him with Sadie. "Merry Christmas, baby." He pecked a kiss to Greg's cheek, sealing a quick one to his lips as his family joined them around the tree. "Which one do you wonna start with Sadie?" He let her out of his arms, watching her curiously studying the brightly wrapped pink box. "We picked out some things for you and Daniel." He reached under the tree, handing Jean her box first. "These are just to say thank you for helpin' us set up the house and bein' there for us."

"Oh Nicky, you didn't have to do that." Jean felt a little teary as she took a seat on the chair behind her. She reached for a corner of the wrapping paper, cautiously ripping it open. She had no idea what it was or the fact that Nick been stressing over whether she would like it or not, she was just worried about breaking whatever it was or causing a scene with her tears. "Oh," She pulled it out surprised, smiling widely as she looked at the two adorable baby's inside the picture frame. She hadn't even noticed that the photo frame said 'I'm the proud Grandmother of these Angels' as her eyes started to well up with tears.

"It's just a photo you silly girl." Her mother chuckled softly, putting her arm around her daughter's shoulders. "You're going to make everyone feel uncomfortable if you keep this up."

"I'm sorry." Jean wiped her eyes. "It's just so lovely." She smeared up the photo frame as she examined it closer, looking at the cheeky little smile on her granddaughter's face. "Thank you. I'll treasure it forever. Open yours then Daniel." She urged, turning to look at her husband stood beside her.

"Yes, dear." Daniel smiled at his son, reaching for a corner of the wrapping paper. He ripped it open a little quicker than his wife did, smiling as he unravelled the gift set of fishing gear. He guessed that his son had influenced Nick's decision on the gift as he had never really shared his interest of fishing with the man before. "Thank you."

"Did you see the hat?" Greg pointed his attention towards it.

Daniel lifted it out of the bundle, looking at the fishing hook etched into the design, before he read what it said 'I hooked the best father in law'. He was a man of few words, but the expression on his face said it all.

"Don't you want to see what yours is, Sadie?" Jean leant forwards, trying to encourage her to start ripping. The baby tapped her hand on the edge of the box, before she tried to reach out for one of the ornaments on the tree.

"Nana, we got you this." Greg stretched his arm across the table, placing the gift in her hand. She didn't like store bought gifts or anything fancy, so she was the hardest person to buy for out of them all. He watched as she cautiously unravelled the gift, remembering a certain gift her grandson had given her when he was around seven or eight years old, that literally squirmed out of the wrapping paper and slithered down her arm. "Sadie and I made it."

Nana Olaf reached her hand inside, pulling out the rather long shell necklace. She smiled as she recognised the shells from their beach trip a few months ago. She held her great grandchild, Sadie while they collected up some shells together, reminiscing about when Greg was just a child on that same beach.

"Thank you." She smiled at her grandson, still the most precious gift in the world to her as she lifted the clattering shells over her head to rest them around her neck. Some of the edges were a little sharp against her skin and it clattered nosily when she moved, but in a few weeks she could pretend that it got lost, but she would treasure the memory of her great grandchild's gift for a lifetime.

"C'mon, Sadie." Greg passed his youngest over to Nick, so he could crawl closer to Sadie to get her interested in her presents. She followed Greg's lead, ripping off the top layer of wrapping. She focused her attention on the wrapping paper she had torn off for a moment, before Greg popped open the box. "Look at that. Wow." He encouraged her to keep her interest. "What is it?"

Sadie reached her hands inside, lifting out the big cuddly bear from inside. It was almost the same size as her, but she managed to wrap her arms tightly around it, putting her Nana in a state of awe.

Greg reached for another gift for her, trying to keep her excited in the event of tearing open brightly coloured wrapping paper to see what was underneath. He seemed a lot more excited than her, but she showed some interest in the new toys and things before they moved onto the next piece of wrapping paper that seemed so much more fun to her.

After she tore open all the ones under the tree, Jean fetched a few more from her stash in the guest bedroom, letting Nick and Greg open a few of their own. She smiled widely as Greg got the familiar look of excitement in his eyes, tearing open his presents with Sadie sat in his arms.

He quickly got past the familiar batch of socks, finding the more exciting presents within no time. He opened his first gift from Nick once he got through all of his mother's, a little surprised at how small it was, but it was exactly what he would have expected from his sentimental cowboy.

The giant wine glass was another nice touch, but he started to feel guilty about his own presents for Nick as he found the wax cord wrist band, complete with a silver ID tag and the engraving 'I Love You To The Moon And Back' inside.

Nick knew that he had never really gone for any kind of jewellery, but the wristband fit just right and felt comfortable at the same time. He showed it off to his mother as she glanced in his direction, before he crawled towards Nick on his knees to wrap his arms tightly around his shoulders.

"You really like it?" Nick slipped his arm around his waist, examining the band around his wrist. He never pictured Greg actually wearing it, but it already looked as though it belonged on his wrist. "I wasn't sure if you'd actually wear it after you told me that you don't even like wearin' any kind of jewellery."

"I love it." Greg brushed his fingers through the man's hair, leaning forwards to seal a kiss to his lips. "I love you." He wanted to give him his own big present now, but he still had to wait for Sara to get here before it would mean anything. He settled for sitting close enough to feel his heart beating against him, feeling the vibrations of his voice through his chest every time he spoke. He admired his new wrist band for the next few hours, feeling butterflies in his stomach every time he read the inscription.

A few Christmas movies later with the kids, he was ready to pop the question, but Sara appeared to be running late.

Getting up from the sofa, he anxiously checked the quiet street outside, before he turned to look at the sleeping baby's beside him. He didn't think he could wait a moment longer. It was starting to drive him out of his mind waiting. He turned towards the kitchen to look at the object of his affection, smiling to himself as he ran his thumb across the wristband once again.

"I think it's safe to say that you love it then." Daniel smiled up at his son from the other chair. He fell asleep during the last movie, but he woke up as soon as Greg started fidgeting. "I haven't seen you this excited about something since that little cowboy set when you were six or seven. You never wanted to take off that badge, the holster or that cowboy hat. I think your Mom had to bath you in that stuff the night after. Your Nana wouldn't let you have the gun though."

"She wasn't too pleased when I told her that I was certified to use a fire arm either." Greg grabbed some stray wrapping paper from beside the coffee table, folding it up as quietly as he could. "Arthur's never slept this long in the afternoon."

"The excitement probably tired him out. Certainly tired out, Sadie." He smiled as he watched her snoozing away on the sofa, not even noticing that her pacifier had dropped out of her mouth because she was so tired. "Are you nervous?"

"Why would I be nervous?" Greg gave the man a smile, before he turned to look at the man in question. He was giving his mother and Nana Olaf a hand in the kitchen, making Greg love him more and more as he got on with his entire family so well. "I want this more than I've ever wanted anything in my whole life."

"If you've waited this long." His father pushed himself to his feet, giving his son a smile. "I'm sure you can wait an extra few minutes. She'll be here, don't worry."

"That's the thing." Greg stuffed his hands into his pockets, smiling as he watched the man he adored. "I don't think I can wait. I've already waited thirty years. Why should I have to wait any longer?" He sighed softly, feeling too far away from him already. "You know I've been so excited to tell him that I didn't even think of the possibility of him saying no. If he says yes, it's even scarier because of all the preparations and things that we'd have to do. But if he says no... it's over."

"He's not going to say no." His father gently placed his hands on his shoulders. "I've seen the way he is with you. It's not just an act. He adores you. You think he puts up with your mother for fun?" He smirked, pecking a kiss to his son's forehead as he pulled him in for a hug. "There's no way he's going to refuse you." He patted him on the back, motioning his son's attention towards the baby as he pulled back. "Someone's hungry again."

"Nope, it's his diaper." Greg recognised the expression on his son's face as he made his way over to him. "I think it's Daddy's turn." He slid his hands beneath the little stinker, taking him through to the kitchen. "Your son just left you a nice little present to unwrap." He smiled at the older man, feeling the butterflies coming to life as Nick leant forwards to steal a quick kiss from his lips.

"I'll be back." Nick scooped up the baby from Greg's arms, taking him upstairs to the change mat on their bedroom floor.

"Have you actually changed one dirty diaper?" Nana Olaf gave her grandson a curious look.

"I have actually. Nick always manages to avoid the really bad ones. He's only ever around for the number ones, I always get stuck with number twos." Greg popped a raw carrot into his mouth, hearing a car pulling up outside. He hurried for the front door as fast as his legs could carry him, feeling his excitement coming back to life as Sara's car pulled up just behind the Texan's truck. "Do you have it?" He hurried towards her.

"Hi, Greg. Nice to see you too." The woman remarked, reaching her hand into her large handbag to find it.

"Sorry. Hi, but do you have it?" He held out his waiting hand to her, grinning widely as she placed the box in his hand.

"You're welcome."

"Thank you." Greg double checked the box, inspecting the ring a moment, before he stuffed it into his pocket with a wide smile. He leant forwards to give her a hug, noticing the large bag of presents in her car. "You're the best Santa ever. I hope you're hungry. I think my Mom's doing a practice run for tomorrow." He led her up to the house, stopping in the doorway as he heard the rumble of another car engine. He turned to watch Warrick's car pulling in at the foot of their driveway, feeling his heart sinking as the man climbed out of the car, holding some presents in his hands.

"Hey Greggo, Nick said you wouldn't mind me tagging along."

"No... it's fine." Greg gave out a soft sigh, trying to hide his disappointment as he led them both inside. He didn't mind, Sara witnessing his proposal to his boyfriend, but he didn't want Warrick there during their moment, cringing in the background as they shared the most special moment of their lives. He brought the two of them through to the kitchen to meet his mother and Nana Olaf, trying to hide his disappointment as he introduced them to each other.

"Hi." Nick finally joined them.

"Hey. Merry Christmas." Sara hugged him first, getting her first hold of the new baby a moment later. "I thought you'd have them both dressed up as elves or something."

"My Mom wanted to, but we didn't think we'd humiliate them until they were at least teenagers." Greg grinned at his mother, making a beeline for the door before Nick saw the bulge in his pocket. "I'll be right back." He hurried up the stairs to his bedroom, searching for a hiding place that Nick would never find. The sock drawer was the obvious choice, but most of Nick's socks had so many holes in them that he was always helping himself to Greg's.

Instead of the obvious choice, Greg made his way over to the wardrobe, taking out a pile of sweatshirts that he wouldn't need for a while. He stuffed the ring box into the sleeve of one of them, making the pile a little neater as he stuffed it back inside. He gave out a heavy sigh, returning to his guests downstairs.

"Here go, Greggo. This one is for you." Warrick handed one of the boxes over to the younger man. "I got some for the kids too."

"Say thank you, Uncle Warrick." Greg gently tickled his son's foot, before he started to rip open his own present. He frowned as the first gift that fell out was a key ring with the LGBT rainbow colours. He gave the man a curious look as he reached inside the box, hoping it wasn't something that was meant to be funny but really offensive. He knew that Warrick meant well, but a mug for his birthday that said 'I'm so gay I Float On Rainbows' was just too far.

Luckily that mug accidentally smashed in the dishwasher, so he never had to see it again.

Greg unravelled what he thought was a t-shirt next, finding a cooking apron instead that simply said 'Kiss the Cook'. He gave out a soft sigh of relief as he turned it to face his Nana Olaf, thanking Warrick with a quick hug.

"Didn't you see the key ring." Warrick retrieved it from his hand, flipping it over to show him the date printed on the other side. It had the linked symbol for same sex males, along with the printed date and the words 'The Day I Met My Soul Mate.' He thought it was a little cheesy, but it was definitely a step up from his usual gifts. "I talked to Nick. He said that March 29th was your first kiss."

"It was?" Greg glanced up at his boyfriend, remembering the event, but he couldn't remember what day it was. He smiled at Warrick, realising that his 'gay' gift was actually quite a sentimental one after all. "Thank you." He wasn't about to attach it to his keys for all to see, but it was a little bit of proof that Warrick was okay with them being together.

"You can open mine now." Sara lifted her present out of her bag with one hand, letting Nick hand it over to the younger man. "So you don't get bored."

"Oh wow, Aunt Sara." He unravelled the bundle of DVD box sets that he really needed while he was stuck at home all hours of the day with two baby's. "X-Files... Breaking Bad... ooh, Supernatural. Thank you, Sara."

"You're welcome." The woman cautiously hugged him, worrying she might squash or drop the baby she had in her arms. "There's one for you in there as well." She smiled at Nick, letting him route through her big bag. "That's it."

"Greg's present was bigger than mine." Nick gave her playful smile, before he ripped it open. He couldn't tell what it was from the size of the box inside, but he was surprised to see a plaque with his name engraved on it. "What's this for? Not that I don't appreciate a reminder of what my name is every now and then."

"For your desk, silly. When you get the assistant supervisor job." She grinned widely at him. "It's gonna be hard to see you go, but I know you can get this job. I was gonna go for silver or wood, but I thought the black with white lettering stood out more."

"Thank you. It's perfect." Nick gently hugged her, before he gave her a hand with the squirming baby in her arms. "They still haven't got back to me with an interview date though. I think that Ecklie might have destroyed my application before the rest of the board got a look at it."

Warrick shook his head. "I heard, Gris talking it over with the lab director. Things are in motion and you can expect to hear back from them early next year."

Next year was just in a few days time, making Nick suddenly feel a little nervous. "Wow, I thought it would take longer than that." Nick adjusted his son in his arms, lifting the plaque higher to let his son take a look at it. He hoped that he could place it on his own desk one day, but he knew he had a lot to get through before that would happen.

By the time dinner was ready, Nick managed to bury all his nervousness, getting up an appetite for the delicious meal laid out across their dining table. He held Greg's hand beneath the table as Daniel started to carve up the turkey, tempted to steal a kiss from his boyfriend's lips, but he felt a little awkward about it with both Sara and Warrick sat in front of him.

He knew they were comfortable with their relationship, but he had never displayed any kind of affection towards Greg in front of them before.

"I propose a toast." Greg reached for his glass of wine from the table, looking round at the table full of people. His family. Holding Nick's hand tightly in his own beneath the table, he rubbed the spot where the ring would soon be on Nick's finger, before he finally toasted, "To family."

* * *

 **Thank you for reading. Have a great weekend!**

 **~ Holly**


	19. Chapter 19 - Family Dinner

**Chapter Nineteen - Family Dinner**

"I'm missing a fork." Greg called back to his Nana, dropping what he had on the dining table. He grabbed the missing fork from her hands, quickly setting the extra cutlery around the extra places at the table. "Billy and his wife can sit that end. Mom and Dad. Lily, Gwen and husband." He went round the table, readjusting the wine glass in one place, before he flipped round the fork to face the same way as the others. "Vicki can sit here with Nick, me and you. We need two more chairs."

"Your neighbour, Donna is bringing her extra chairs over in a minute." Jean reassured him, before he started to freak out about their dinner again. "Are you going to feed the baby's first? Or do you want them at the table with you."

"Sadie will be okay at the table, but we'll put Arthur through there to sleep." Nick motioned towards the front room, setting down the extra chair from his hands. "Donna won't need em back until New Year's day. Your father's bringin' the other one." He stole a quick kiss from Greg's lips, giving him a smile as he made his way through to the kitchen.

Jean checked his fingers as he walked past, before she stepped closer to her son, whispering, "You didn't ask him?"

"With Warrick there so he could make jokes at my expense?" He sarcastically remarked, straightening out the Christmas table cloth they had set out. "Are you sure the table looks better with this?"

"Greg, they're here to see you and the baby, not judge your table cloth. Did you clean up upstairs?" Jean moved the candles closer to the centre of the table, giving her son a smile as she turned back for the kitchen. "It's like asking you if you cleaned your room back you were a teen. You'd always answer 'yes', but I always knew that you were lying."

"That's just because your version of clearing up takes weeks. Mine takes less than a few minutes and it looks just the same." He playfully stuck his tongue out at her, turning for the door to help his father in with the other chair. "Thank you, Dad. When should we head to the airport to pick them up?"

"Their flights don't get in for hours yet." Daniel chuckled softly, setting the chair down in the empty spot at the table. "Relax, Greg. You have plenty of time to get ready for this. I get why you're nervous, but it's not like you need their approval. First time I met your mother's parents was a nightmare because she was pregnant and we had been together for years without them knowing. Your Papa Olaf made me jump through hoops before I was even allowed to sit at their dinner table. These people are coming to meet the man that stole their brother's heart. You don't need their approval. He's yours whether they like it or not."

Greg smiled back at him, making his way over to the crib in the front room. Sadie was snoozing the afternoon away, but her brother in the bouncer beside it was just starting to wake up. He scooped him out before he started to cry, shielding his eyes from the bright lights in the kitchen. "Did you make up a bottle already?"

"I did, he had it about an hour ago." Nick motioned towards it on the side. "I'll make another one. He might not even be hungry yet." He pressed a kiss to the back of his baby boy's head, pulling the younger man closer to seal a kiss to his lips. "Are you okay, baby?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. Are you?"

"I'm dyin' for a moment alone with you." He grinned against his partner's lips, pulling back as Jean returned to the kitchen, checking on the turkey. "Do you want me to take him?" He gently lifted his son from Greg's arms, holding his little head against his shoulder. "I don't think he's hungry yet." He smoothed his hand up and down the tiny infants back, pressing his lips to his forehead. "I can't believe he's two months old already. And Sadie's gonna be two in just a few months."

"They grow up fast." Jean gently pushed her son aside, trying to get to the fridge. "Greg was an adorable baby one minute, then he turned into a hyperactive child, brainy teenager then it's bye Mom I'm off to college, before he's suddenly an adult, wanting nothing to do with me." She gave him a cheeky smile. "But I'm very proud of you sweetheart. I never had the courage to move this far away from my parents. Now you have two beautiful children. A nice home and this lovely man."

"What are you fishing for Mom?" Greg gave her a curious look. "We already told you that we don't need a live in Nanny."

The woman sighed softly, returning to her roast. "I can't even tell you I'm proud of you anymore without you thinking I have an ulterior motive anymore."

"Because I know you too well." He smiled at her, before he leant forwards to steal a kiss from Nick's lips. "I'm gonna go grab a shower. I'll bath Sadie when she wakes up." He waved to the older man, adoring the look of him and his baby boy together.

After a quick shower, Greg rummaged through his wardrobe, double checking that the box was still hidden away. He brushed his thumb across the ring, quickly stuffing it away as he heard a knock at the door. "Yeah?" He tightened the towel around his waist, dropping back to his bed as he saw the beautiful man in question. "Hi."

"Hi." Nick smiled back, closing the door behind him. He made his way towards the bed, sweeping his fingers through the younger man's wet hair as he leant in for a kiss. He slid his hands down the sides of his face, cupping his cheeks in his hands as he continued his kiss.

Greg licked his lips when he finally pulled back, smiling as he looked into the man's eyes. "What was that for?"

"I need a reason to kiss you now?" He brushed his thumbs across the younger man's cheeks, studying the look in his eyes. "You seemed a little off with me after Warrick showed up yesterday. Then I missed you last night because I passed out." He sealed another kiss to his lips, gently pushing the younger man back on the bed as he climbed on top of him.

"Ow..." Greg lifted his hips, loosening the towel around his waist. He adjusted himself to a comfier position, smiling as he looked up at the man above him. "My entire family is downstairs."

"Your point?" Nick nipped a kiss to his jaw line. "I didn't get to be with you last Christmas either." He opened the towel around Greg's waist a little more, lifting his thigh against his hip. "Sorry, is it still sore?" He caught him flinching as he got closer to his waist.

"No... it's just... tender." Greg pulled him closer, pressing their lips together. "I'm okay. You won't hurt me. I'm tougher than that."

"I know you are." He slid his hand around his partner's body, tracing the scars on his back. "You're the strongest person I know with everythin' you've taken on. Puttin' up with me. A baby. Pregnancy." He pressed his hips closer to Greg's, feeling him hardening beneath him. "I don't know why you put up with me and all my drama, but you're amazin, you know that?"

"Uh oh..." The younger man giggled softly, smoothing his hands around his partner's waist. "This sounds like something very familiar."

"No, I'm not gonna ask you." He smiled, playfully nipping at the younger man's lips. "I just wanted you to know that I love you. And you're still the most beautiful man I've ever laid eyes on."

"You want me on my best behaviour for dinner or something?" He grinned against his lips, gently brushing his fingertips down the sides of Nick's face. "Nothing is going to go wrong today. How could it? I've met most of your family already. Meeting most of them together at a family dinner isn't going to make me change my mind about you. They can tell me anything they like about how you used to be or who they think you are, but it won't change my mind about you. I love you more than anything in the world."

"I know." He rested his forehead against Greg's, listening to his soft breaths. "Sadie's awake by the way. She's downstairs with your Mom. I gotta go to the airport now, baby."

"Ah... you tease." Greg dropped his head back, reluctantly letting go of his partner. "You owe me big time, Tex."

"Your parents are goin' tomorrow, right? That means I have one more whole day with you to myself, before I have to go back to work. I'll make it up to you then." He stole another quick kiss from his lips, brushing their noses together as he pulled back from him. "Mmm, I love you." He pressed his lips to Greg's forehead, reluctantly climbing off the bed. "Bye, baby."

"Bye." Greg retrieved his towel from beneath him, waving goodbye to the man. He smiled as he saw the look in his eyes, feeling as though he was going to burst at the seams if he didn't give him the ring soon.

He quickly got himself dressed, changing his shirt two or three times, before he found one that hid the extra baby weight in his stomach and looked smart. He hurried downstairs to collect Sadie from his mother, carrying her back up the stairs for an early bath. He managed to save his shirt from her splashing bubbles, but she soaked the left leg of his jeans with a big splash of her fist.

"Thank you, baby girl." Greg lifted her out of the tub, wrapping a towel around her. "You splashed bubbles in your ear." He giggled softly, carrying her through to his bedroom. "No, no, don't cry. I got em." He gently dried away the bubbles, pecking a kiss to her forehead. "All clean." He quickly got her dressed, changing himself into a dry pair of jeans, before he hurried back down the stairs.

"I just changed, Arthur. Your Nana's giving him his bottle in the kitchen." Daniel reached out for the baby in his arms, lifting her against his side.

"I thought you were going to the airport with Nick?" Greg combed his fingers through his hair, adjusting the cushions on the sofa on his route to the kitchen to check on dinner.

"No, Nick's sister, Gwen is going to help with the pick up from the airport. He said he didn't need me anymore. I'm kinda relieved actually. I hate airport traffic." Daniel took a seat at the counter, readjusting the missed buttons to Sadie's dress. "It's hot in here, mind if we crack open a window?"

Greg pushed open the back door a little, letting in the cooling breeze. "Do you think New Year's is a better time?" He asked his family, getting confused looks from his mother and father, but he could tell that his Nana understood what he meant. "What if he doesn't want to marry me and I ask him in front of his family? And who wants to remember Boxing day as the day I proposed? New Year's Eve or even the first day of the year is more memorable."

"You have to do it while we're here." His mother protested. "We're leaving tomorrow."

"I vote New Year's Eve." Daniel smiled at his son, thinking more of his benefit than their own. "During the countdown, he'll never expect it. Everyone expects a kiss, but no one expects a life changing moment like that."

"Ever the sentimental one." Nana Olaf smiled at him, handing her great grandson over to her grandson. "You should give yourself at least a minute before the countdown to do it. Maybe three in your case, because I know how you like to ramble. You don't want to miss out on your New Year's kiss."

"Thank you." Greg smiled at the three of them, lifting his son higher in his arms to press a kiss to his little cheek. "Ready to be completely cute and adorable for your aunts and uncles?"

"He's always cute and adorable." Jean giggled softly, before she ushered them out of the kitchen to give her some space. She changed her blouse just a few minutes before they arrived, playfully zipping her lips shut as she looked at her son. Not that he was worried she would say anything to embarrass him, he just didn't want her to make them feel awkward within their first few minutes of arriving.

"Hi." Nick stepped through the door first, pecking a kiss to his boyfriend's cheek. He opened the door wider behind him, ushering his family inside. "This is my brother, Billy and his wife, Martha." He introduced them to Greg's parents and his Nana Olaf, before he ushered his sisters inside. "This is Lily, Vicki... Gwen and her husband, Anthony."

"Wow, you really weren't lying about this place. It's in a nice little neighbourhood too." Lily removed the sunglasses from her face, finally putting a face to the voice she had been talking to as she was introduced to Greg. "You're much cuter than I thought you would be. I can definitely see what my brother sees in you." She giggled softly, going straight in to hug the younger man. "Oh and look at this little baby. He's so adorable." She cooed over the infant in Greg's arms.

"Do you wonna hold him?" Greg offered, seeing an excited smile spreading across the woman's lips. She quickly handed her huge handbag over to her brother, carefully scooping up the baby from his arms.

"I haven't held a newborn in a long time. He's so tiny." Lily continued to coo over the little baby, missing out on the tour her brother was giving the rest of them. "Aww, he looks just like my little brother when he was a baby. Is he doing alright?"

"Yeah, he doesn't sleep a lot, but he's doing alright."

"I guess you're pretty exhausted too. I wouldn't have another baby for any amount of money in the world. Don't get me wrong, you're completely adorable." She smiled at the beautiful baby in her arms. "But you're a lot of work."

Greg smiled in agreement, taking his baby boy as she handed him over. He felt surprisingly at ease around Lily, putting his nerves at ease as he met, Vicki and Billy's wife, Martha for the first time. They weren't anywhere near as bitchy or out with the truth as Nick described them to be, but he still felt a little on edge around them.

"The place looks good." Billy complimented his brother, stepping off the stairs. "Much better than the last time I saw it, especially considerin' you have two baby's in the house."

"Has the mother in law been staying with you all this time?" Martha queried, not finding a speck of dust in sight. She thought two men would be messier, but she was ashamed to admit that it was cleaner than her own house.

"No, she just got here a few days ago. Greg did all this." Nick smiled proudly at his boyfriend. "We're gonna convert the second livin' room into an office and a playroom as soon as Christmas is over. We think it used to be the garage but the previous owners converted it into more space. We were thinkin' about convertin' it back, but I think we decided the playroom would be better."

"Joint office and playroom?" Vicki stepped closer to the door, examining the space for herself. "You'll regret that when the kids are driving you up the wall, while you're trying to answer the phone, construct a sentence or even find some paperwork that they've scribbled all over with their crayons."

"Nah, it'll be alright." Nick gently held his little boy's hand, pressing a kiss to his little forehead. He couldn't wait to watch the two of them playing together in there.

"Dinner is served." Jean called them through to the dining room, lifting Sadie out of her husband's arms, so he could sit himself down at the table. "I hope you're all hungry."

"Starvin'." Billy took his seat, un-tucking his shirt from his pants as soon as he was sat down. He gave his wife a smile, catching her rolling her eyes at him. "Everythin' looks delicious, Mrs Sanders."

"Thank you." Jean smiled at the hunky Texan lad, ushering Nick towards the end of the table. "Help yourselves to any of the vegetables. Nick's carving up the turkey."

"Let me take my niece off you." Lily offered, smiling as the woman carefully handed, Sadie over to her. "Hello, my sweet baby girl. You must be the lovely little, Sadie that we've heard so much about." She took her seat at the table with her, smiling as Sadie curiously studied her features. "She definitely has your eyes, Nicky. She's very small for two."

"I said nearly two." Nick corrected her, taking the carving knife off Jean's hand. He gave Greg a smile, feeling a little nervous about carving his first turkey, but he had seen his father do it plenty of times.

"She's two in March." Greg filled her in, gently rocking his baby boy in his arms as he started to doze off to sleep. "She's usually a little chatter box too, but I guess she's nervous."

"That she definitely takes after her father." Lily giggled softly, turning her attention to watch her brother's carving skills. Or lack of to begin with. A quick whisper and demonstration from Jean and he was all set. "Yay." His sister applauded, watching an adorable grin spreading across the baby girl's lips. "Can you see Daddy carving the turkey?"

"Shreddin' more like." Billy teased his brother. "Do you want some help, little brother?"

Nick gave his brother a glare, not letting his teasing put him off. He carved up the turkey within a few minutes, proudly serving up a few shredded slices each to his family, before he took his seat beside, Greg. "Do you want me to hold, Sadie?" He smiled at his sister, Lily, realising she wasn't willing to give up the baby just yet. He glanced up as Greg got up from the table, watching him carrying their sleeping son through to the front room, freeing up his hands for dinner.

"This turkey is amazing." Martha complimented the chef beside her. "Mine always comes out really dry. Billy won't eat my turkey at Christmas. I think you compared it to sand paper last Christmas." She grinned at her husband beside her as he stuffed his mouth with sweet potato. "What's your secret?"

"Oh," Jean finished her mouthful, explaining, "It's no secret really. I just slow cook it in the oven on a low temperature. I've never cooked one this big before, but it only needed two extra hours than our normal size."

"It's really good, Jean." Vicki added another compliment. "Do you use the turkey drippings in your gravy?"

"Yes, when my mother taught me how to cook, she said they were liquid gold." She smiled at Nana Olaf beside her. "Do you want me to take her?" Jean climbed to her feet, lifting her granddaughter out of Lily's arms. "You can have your dinner now, can't you?"

"I got it." Greg picked up her plate, putting some things on that she had eaten before. She had never tried turkey before, but he thought she would at least give it a try.

"She's so sweet." Lily smiled as she watched the baby getting readjusted in her grandmother's arms. "Does she have a scar from her time in neonatal?" She curiously asked, looking across the table at her brother. "My son still has the marks on his head from his time in NICU."

"She has one across her belly from her first surgery. It's faded a little already." Nick lifted his daughter out of Jean's arms, sitting her against him so she could eat with them. She favoured the sweet potato and dipping her fingers in the gravy the most, but he managed to get her to try a small piece of turkey before she refused anymore.

"You're very quiet, Gwen." Vicki noticed, catching her sister glancing towards, Nick across the table. "Are you still in the dog house over the birthday thing?"

"She's not in the dog house." Nick rolled his eyes at his sister, wishing she could just let things go, but she always tried to stir things up. "I told Mama anyway, so there's nothin' to be mad at her about anymore."

"You did?" Gwen looked at him surprised, opening her mouth for the first time that evening. "What did she say?"

"Do we really have to talk about this now?" Billy interrupted them, lifting his wine glass off the table. "Remember what Dad used to say? Christmas is the celebration of the family that actually bothered to show up for the feast."

"I'm good with that." Lily grabbed her wine glass. "To Nick and Greg. Here's wishing you health, happiness and... lots of beautiful babies." She grinned at the adorable little girl sat in front of her.

"To Nick and Greg." Billy chimed in, smiling at his younger brother. "Just don't have too many kids. They drive you up the wall after three or four."

"Hey." Martha playfully slapped his thigh. "You were the one who wanted a big family, buddy. I was happy with just the one."

"Two is our limit. For now anyway." Nick smiled at the younger man beside him, letting him feed Sadie a spoonful of green peas. "I think we're good for a while anyway. Greg just got promoted to a field CSI before all of this. I'm goin' for the assistant lab supervisor position at work. I'd really like to get the four of us settled before we add anymore to our litter." He held Greg's hand beneath the table, smiling at him as Sadie settled back against his chest. He heard the rest of his family finally chinking their glasses together for the toast, but his attention was completely focused on the man he adored sat beside him.

There was no doubt in his mind. Nick was ready to spend the rest of his life with this gorgeous man.

"So, it went down without a hitch?" Jean set the last stack of plates beside the sink, giving her son a wide smile. "They all seemed nice. I thought they'd be a lot more like Nick, but they're completely different. I always wondered if you had a brother or sister, would they have been like you, like me or more like your father."

"I guess we'll never know now since you're a grandmother. You're too old to start planning your next child." Greg smiled at her, pulling open the dishwasher beside him. "Dad was quiet. I don't think he even said a word round the table." He realised, loading their plates in one by one.

"So were you. I've never seen you so quiet." The woman admitted, moving back to the table to finish clearing up.

"I wasn't that quiet." He defended himself, leaning back against the counter behind him. "I spoke to them. They mostly talked about their past Christmases. I wasn't there, so I couldn't exactly reminisce with them. And besides, I have two states of nervousness, just like you do. I either babble about anything at all or I say nothing. I'd say the silence is definitely better than babbling until one of them tell me to shut up."

"I didn't like that Vicki. I've always hated that nickname anyway, but she had no manners whatsoever." Nana Olaf returned to the kitchen, overhearing their conversation after tucking the little ones into their beds. "Three times she tried to stir something up between Nick and Gwen. That Lily was a bit forward too, asking you to kiss Nick at the table. What are we back on the playground?"

Greg giggled softly, fetching her unfinished wine glass off the side for her. "I liked them. Thank you for putting them to bed. Did they go down without a fuss?"

"Sadie was out like a light after your father read to her, but Arthur needed a cuddle to send him off to sleep." She downed the last mouthful of her wine, grabbing the unfinished bottle from the centre of the table. She topped off her glass, taking a seat at the counter while Jean and Greg cleared up around her. "I really can't see any family resemblance. Nick's not even cut from the same cloth as that lot."

"So you didn't like them then? That's no surprise really, because you didn't like any of Daniel's family either." Jean lifted away the plates from beside her mother, taking them over to her son. "I thought they were very nice. The only personality that really grated at the table was his brother's, Billy. He must have spent a lot more time with their father growing up. He seems more of the womaniser type than you described Nick to be when you first met him. I don't know how Martha managed to put up with him for so long. She must be a very tolerant woman."

"Maybe because she loves him?" Greg suggested, trying to squeeze in the rest of the plates. They only had a smallish dishwasher and a large family meal was proving to be too much for it to hold. "He's not a womaniser. He's just... the old fashioned traditional kinda guy that believes a woman's place is in the family home." He struggled to explain without getting the looks from his mother and Nana Olaf. "Martha's happy with it, so why do you care? She's not really a stay at home Mom anyway. She has a full time job, she can just take a back seat every now and then because she owns the company."

"Because she has to. She has to raise that loud mouths kids. Would you be happy with something like that?" His Nana gave him a curious look.

"She's happy being a full time, Mom." Greg defended her, continuing with the clear up. "I wouldn't want to do it full time, but Nick and I have come to an agreement that I will go back to work as soon as Arthur is old enough for pre-k."

"You've only been at it less than a month. What if you change your mind?" Nana giggled softly, hiccupping as she topped off her glass once again. "Newborns are a nightmare. Sure they look all cute and adorable, but they're completely helpless, screaming messes. Toddlers are worse. They're basically just walking, talking, screaming messes. They get better as they get older though. I think my favourite age is five and up, when they're just starting to discover the world around them. They're still screaming messes by then, but their episodes are much fewer and the adorableness makes it all worth it."

"Well one of your adorable screaming messes just threw up on her bed sheets." Daniel reported from the doorway, holding the little mess in his arms. "What do you want me to do?"

"I got her." Greg motioned his mother's attention towards the sink filling with water, before he took the baby off his father's hands. "Do you think you had too much Christmas pudding now, baby girl?" He smiled at her, carrying her back up the stairs to clean her up. He washed her up in the sink, changing her into a clean onesie for bed, before he sorted out the sheets on her bed. He took a seat with her on the rocking chair, gently cradling her against his chest as he rocked her off to sleep again.

Sadie studied his fingers as she sucked on her pacifier, slowly beginning to drift off to sleep as her eyelids started to feel a little heavier. She eventually dozed off to sleep with her fingers tightly wrapped around Greg's, keeping him put in the chair while his family finished with the clear up downstairs.

"Hello?" Nick called through the house, finding the dining table completely spotless. "Wow, that was fast."

"Don't worry, well finish up here. Did you manage to get them all settled in at the hotel?" Jean nabbed the bottle off her mother before she topped off her glass for the fourth time.

"Yeah, they're all set. My brother's flight is first thing in the mornin'. I said I'd give him a lift so he doesn't have to try and find a taxi service. Martha's stickin' around for Gwen's Christmas party with the others. I should be back in time to see you off though." Nick assisted the woman with Sadie's highchair. "Where's Greg?"

"Clean up in aisle two." Nana Olaf giggled into her empty wine glass. "That Christmas Pudding proved to be too much for the little one. She threw up in her bed. He went up about an hour ago and he hasn't come back yet. I imagine he's probably fallen asleep by now."

"Go, we'll finish up down here." Jean ushered him away, giving him a smile as he backed away towards the door. "Off to bed you." She turned towards her mother. "Now, before you embarrass yourself."

"Spoil sport." Her mother struggled to get up from the table. "I only had a few."

"You had a few too many. C'mon," Jean gave her a helping hand up the stairs, putting her to bed in the guest bedroom.

Nick removed his jacket at the foot of the stairs, kicking his shoes off before he made his way up. He poked his head through Sadie's bedroom door, smiling as he found the man in question watching his daughter softly snoozing in his arms.

Without alerting Greg to his presence, Nick softly padded into the room, kneeling down in front of him.

"Hi." Greg smiled at him. "So, what'd they say about me on the drive?"

"Nothin'. Nothin' bad anyway." Nick placed his hands on the younger man's knees, watching his daughter's chest rising and falling in his partner's arms. "They adored you. I think the fact that you barely said anythin' all night made them think you were completely adorable." He grinned at him, adoring the smile spreading across his boyfriend's lips. "I was goin' to give you this at the table."

"What?" Greg gave him a confused look, watching the man reaching into his jeans pocket for something.

"This." Nick presented him with the ring from his jeans pocket. "I didn't want to make you feel even more uncomfortable though, so I thought I'd wait until we were alone." He slid the ring over his daughter's tiny fingers, looking up into the younger man's eyes. "You can turn me down again if you like. I was gonna give it to you after you opened this present." He hooked his finger around the wristband on Greg's wrist. "But I chickened out with your parents there. I was gonna do it again at Christmas dinner with Sara, but you seemed a little off with me after I invited, Warrick to join us. I only invited him because he was plannin' on spendin' Christmas alone at his place."

"How long have you had it?" Greg felt a little pissed that the man had stolen his thunder, but he felt himself falling even further in love with him at the same time.

"Uh... well I picked it out while you were still pregnant with Arthur, but I had to wait for your chubby fingers to get back to their normal size before I could give it you." He grinned up at him, watching Greg brushing his thumb across the ring that had two tiny fingers clutching it. "I love you more than anythin' in the world, Greg. And I know you told me that you're not the marryin' kind. But I want to spend the rest of my life with you, whether we're married or not. I just wanted you to have somethin' with you all the time to remind you that I'm yours forever. I thought if you didn't like the bracelet then you could always have the ring."

"I shoulda known I couldn't get one over on a sentimental Texan." Greg smirked, brushing his thumb across the shiny surface of the elegant silver band. It was even a better design than the one he had picked out for Nick. A simple band with the inscription 'Forever Yours' inside. He welled up with tears a little, pursing his lips together as he glanced up at Nick. "Way to steal my thunder, Tex. The one thing I thought I had down and you beat me to the punch."

"Huh?" Nick gave him a confused look.

"Back of our closet, the sleeve of your old college sweatshirt." Greg directed him. "Go on. Hurry back."

Nick pushed himself to his feet, making his way through to their bedroom. He dug around in the back of the closet, pulling out the sweatshirt, finding the small jewellery box inside. He took it straight through to Greg without opening it, smiling widely as he knelt down in front of him again. "You were goin' to propose to me?" Nick looked surprised.

"Yeah, saying 'no' all this time was to throw you off the scent. But as usual, you beat me to it. Well open the box then." He urged him, wanting to see his face when he saw it for the first time. "Ta da." He smirked, adoring the look in his eyes as he saw the ring. "I had no idea when would be the right time to do it. I finally decided with a little help from my family that New Year's Eve was the best time, just a few minutes before midnight so I get my New Year's Kiss and a proposal."

"I'm sorry." Nick brushed his thumb across the white gold band, giving the younger man a guilty smile. "We can forget I ever did this, so you can still do it the way you wanted."

"It's too late now." Greg gently uncurled Sadie's fingers from his ring, handing it over to Nick. He held up his other hand, giving the man a smile as he waited for him to slide it into place. "I changed my mind about all of this after I felt a part of you growing inside of me. I want to marry you, Nick. I know we can't legally here, but we can still do something for us, right?"

"Really?" Nick brushed his thumb over the securely placed ring, giving the younger man a smile. "I thought you said that you're never ever gettin' married because it was all so pointless and normal."

"Well it was, before I found someone that I wanted to marry." He smiled at him, adjusting the ring over his finger. He had never liked wearing rings before, but this one was different as it was a constant reminder of the older man's love for him. "I don't want to be fifty and still calling you my boyfriend, Nick. I haven't always wanted to marry you, because I never saw the point in it before. But now I completely love you and I just want you to be mine. I want to call you my husband for the rest of my life."

Nick started to well up with tears a little, sinking his teeth into his bottom lip to keep it from quivering. "You really wonna marry me?"

"Yes." Greg reached out for the box in his hands, adjusting the baby in his arms so he could take the ring out of the box. "I know you're the one kneeling down here, but I do have your baby in my arms." He smiled at him. "Nicholas Parker Stokes. My best friend in the whole wide world and the man I adore with all my heart . . . will you marry me?"

"You're tryin' to outdo me on the speech now?" Nick smiled back at him, giving him a nod. "Yeah, I'll marry you, Gregory Hojem Sanders." He let Greg slide the wedding band into place on his finger, before he pushed himself to his feet to seal a slow and passionate kiss to his lips. "You know we're gonna have to take them off until the ceremony." He broke the kiss with news Greg didn't want to hear.

"Says who?" He examined the ring on his finger. "You'll have to chop my finger off if you want this ring back."

Nick chuckled softly, pecking a kiss to the younger man's cheek. "I never want you to take it off."

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! Chapter 20 is almost complete and I have a short epilogue planned. Please review!**

 **~ Holly**


	20. Chapter 20 - The Future is Now

**Chapter Twenty - The Future is Now**

"So, where do you see yourself in five years?" The man asked the dreaded question.

Greg anxiously bit his bottom lip for a moment, looking around at the panel of interviewers. He didn't think they would be impressed by his Nana Olaf's supposed psychic powers to answer the question and a lot had already happened in the past four years with Nick, so he had no idea how he was supposed to answer or what kind of answer they would accept and give him the job. He knew that they were probably searching for the red flag marker on his resume to use as an excuse not to hire him for this position, but after three years out of work, he really needed something to fill his days with anything other than nap time and the Disney channel.

"Honestly," He took a moment to think about it, directing his attention towards the only female interviewer sat in front of him as she reminded him of his mother. "Four years ago, I never saw myself engaged or with a family. All I wanted was to be able to get out into the field. I wanted to see the case beyond the lab. When I finally got to see the crime scene out in the field, I felt as though all these blanks had finally been filled in. I no longer saw slides of salvia or blood. I saw the body of the victim and the puzzle that needed to be solved around them. Being a field CSI is my dream job. I worked hard to get to where I was and I'm gonna work even harder to get it all back."

Greg gulped softly after he finished, watching them making some quick notes, before they glanced around at each other. Two of the interviewers exchanged a nod, before the oldest male at the table rose to his feet.

"Thank you, Mr Sanders." The man professionally reached his hand out to him, hinting for Greg to finally rise to his feet from the table and shake his hand. "We'll let you know within a week or so, once we've got through our other candidates."

"Thank you." Greg shook his hand and the woman's beside him, before he made his way towards the door. He gave out a soft sigh of relief once it was over, thinking over his answers once again. He made his way towards the elevator, feeling as though he could have given better answers to a few of their questions, but it was too late now.

"Hey." Judy waved to him, catching his attention at the front desk. "I saw Sara earlier. She told me you had your big interview today. So, how did it go?"

"I think I sucked. Royally sucked." He sighed softly, loosening the tie around his neck. "Is there any chance that Grissom has invented his time machine yet?"

Judy shook her head, giving him a sympathetic smile. "Sorry, Greg. Assistant Supervisor, Mr Stokes isn't in his office yet if you're heading that way. He just ducked out with the Sheriff's department. They finally got their warrant through."

"Okay." Greg straightened up, feeling a little sick after his interview. "I'm gonna wait in his office. He's my ride home."

"I can call you a cab." She suggested.

"No it's okay." He shook his head, pulling out his phone to turn it back on. "My Mom has the kids in California until tomorrow, so the house is pretty empty without them there. I need noise to help me sleep now." Greg smiled at her, turning for the hallway behind him. He made his way towards Nick's office down the end of the hall, setting himself up on the sofa against the wall. He breathed in the familiar scent of the man from his sweatshirt slung over the back, starting to drift off to sleep already.

"Rise and shine, sleepy head." He awoke to the Texan's familiar voice, brushing the sleep from his eyes to try and see his familiar gorgeous features. "Hi baby, how'd the interview go?" Nick perched himself on the sofa beside him, gently stroking his fingers through his hair. "That bad, huh?" He saw the glum look on his face.

"I think it was pretty bad." Greg struggled to sit up, pulling the tie away from around his neck. "I can't even remember half my answers I gave them. You might just have to support your dead beat fiancé for the rest of your life. Are you okay with that?"

"It can't have been that bad." Nick lifted his partner's legs over his own, putting his back against the sofa. "Regrettin' your choice to get back to work?"

"No." He shook his head, running his fingers through the gel in his hair. "It was only ever supposed to be a few months after I had your kid. I feel a little bit like my life stopped for a while, but it wasn't all bad because I got to raise my baby's. But now I want my life back. I know practically every cartoon on day time television. I can pretty much recite the plot of all the Disney channel movies and I sing the alphabet in the shower. I feel like if I do this for any longer, I'll forget how to do any of it. I won't remember how to do all the things I used to do, I'll just be Papa Greg for the rest of my life. Three years is enough, don't you think? I need to be Greg again, not just, Papa."

"But?" Nick sensed it coming. "You look like you were gonna say but."

"But what if I don't remember how to do anything. I know how to change a diaper. Make up a bottle of formula. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with no crusts. How to nurse a scraped knee or how to kiss a boo boo better. I know how to tie a braid and even pigtailed fish tails now, after that youtube channel I found, but what if I don't remember how to do CSI stuff?"

"That's what the trainin' is for, baby. They won't let you back on the job until you've completed the trainin'." He snickered softly, gently pulling Greg closer to seal a kiss to his lips. "You'll pull it off, no sweat. They'd be crazy not to give the position to you. You're a good CSI, G. The best. I'd hire you." Nick leant forwards, pecking a kiss to his cheek. "Are you ready to go home?"

"Are you sure that Warrick doesn't have some big bachelor party planned for you?"

Nick shook his head. "Warrick is in Miami workin' a case. He won't be back in time to plan one before the weekend, but he'll be back for our weddin' day. Worked out pretty well, because he'd probably have wanted to take me to a strip dive to try and convert me or somethin'." He smiled at him, spinning Greg's legs round to hit the floor. "Are you ready to marry me?"

"I don't know. I've been having second thoughts about that." Greg pushed himself to his feet, deciding to tease him a little. "I'm thirty four, still in my prime. I could have a lot of dating years left ahead of me, living the life of a free single man, but I'm about to tie the knot and throw it all down the drain for the first southern boy who crossed my path."

"You're lucky I love you." Nick gave him a playful swat to the backside, grabbing his jacket and keys from his desk. "Am I really the first southern boy who crossed your path?"

"First one I fell for." Greg nodded, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his suit trousers. He realised the suit was all crumpled where he had been laying, but he figured he'd never get to wear it again after today's disaster. "You know what I could really go for right now?" He watched Nick bending over his desk, pursing his lips together as the man straightened up. "Pizza." He grinned at his partner.

"What happened to the celibacy pact before we get married?" Nick pulled his jacket on, leading the way towards the door. "I thought you were savin' yourself for the honeymoon?"

"It's been..." Greg quickly tried to calculate it off the top of his head, while Nick locked the door to his office. "Nearly eight weeks. Wow. Is that right?"

"I think so." He shrugged his shoulders together, waving to a colleague down the hall as they made their way towards the exit. "Bye, Judy."

"Bye, Mr Stokes. Bye, Greg." Judy enthusiastically crossed her fingers together for him, giving him a wide smile.

"Thank you." Greg waved to her, joining his partner in the elevator. He slid his hand into Nick's as soon as the doors closed, weaving their fingers tightly together. "Do you wonna go out for dinner? We don't have anything in the house, besides chicken dippers and tato tots. Oh and maybe a box of mac and cheese."

"I don't think I'm that hungry." The older man smirked, stepping off the elevator first. "We could grab a pizza on the way home. We don't have any kids to look after until tomorrow. Pizza. A few beers."

"And the romance is already dead." Greg sighed, giving the man a wide smile. "I'm driving then." He grabbed the car keys off Nick's hands, racing him to the driver's side door of his truck, before he could snatch them back. He started up the car, playfully sticking his tongue out at the man as he made his way round to the passenger side door. "Too slow, old man. I might have to trade you in for a younger model at this rate."

"I just worked a double shift." Nick pointed out to him, buckling himself in. "At this rate, I'm gonna have to trade you in for someone who appreciates me."

"I appreciate you."

"Really?"

Reaching his hand out for Nick's, Greg gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "I'm just teasing you, doll. You know I love you more than anything."

"Don't use that term anymore." Nick cringed every time his brother used it towards his own wife, but since Greg had started using it himself, it made his skin crawl. "You can't pull it off."

"You don't like it?" Greg waved to Sara on their way out of the lab parking lot, trying to think of another nickname for him. Other than baby or Tex, he hadn't really used any other terms of endearment for the love of his life over the years. "You like it when I call you, cowboy or Tex though, right? That's not offence or anything."

"No, I don't mind it. To me it's just another way of you tellin' me that you love me. But callin' me 'doll' after you heard it from my brother over the summer feels a little bit like an insult."

"Sorry, baby." Greg gently tapped his thigh, motioning towards the store ahead of them. "Store bought or the Pizzeria further down?"

"Pizzeria. I'll rush in. What do you want on yours?"

"Southern Chicken with all the extras." He gave the man a grin, pulling up outside the shop. "I'll be over there." He pointed to empty spot. "You need some money?"

Nick searched his wallet, shaking his head as he counted what he had. "I'm good. Cheesy bread?"

"You certainly know the way to a man's heart."

Nick smiled at him, pecking a quick kiss to his cheek. "I'll hurry." He climbed out of the truck, making his way inside. There was only one other customer inside, so he got his order in pretty quickly, noticing Greg leaving his truck in the parking lot. He thought he was going to join him for the wait inside, but he made his way to the liquor store instead.

When their order was ready, Nick thanked the man, before he carried it out to the truck. Greg was back in the driver's seat, but he couldn't see any sign of a bottle.

"Mm, smells good." Greg breathed in a quick whiff of the steaming hot pizza, before he started up the car. "What?" He noticed the curious look that Nick was giving him. He smiled as he realised it was his CSI mind ticking over what had happened. Putting him out of his misery, Greg grabbed the stashed bag, showing him the bottle of wine. "You know it's really hard to surprise you, Tex."

"Sorry. I blame the CSI lifestyle. It makes you paranoid." He defended himself, pulling his seatbelt on so they could make their way off home. "You surprised me when you finally set a date for our weddin'. I thought you were gonna stall on that one forever, but you came up with the date on your on own."

"We've been busy." Greg defended himself, adjusting the belt over his shoulder. "You could have taken the initiative on that one. I wouldn't have minded. C'mon grandma, are you turning or what?" He yelled at the driver in front, overtaking the woman.

Nick smiled to himself, tilting his head back against his seat. "I didn't know if you actually wanted the ceremony part. We never talked about it."

"True." He agreed with him on that one. "My Mom does enough talking about it for the both of us. Maybe we should just elope to Hawaii. Bare foot on the beach in the sunset or that bed and breakfast hotel in Tennessee that we took the kids to last year. You did say you liked the scenery there."

"It's a bit late to share your ideas now, G. We're gettin' married tomorrow."

"I know, but it's still not legal or anything. This is more just for the benefit of friends and family. Did you remember to pack Sadie's inhaler in her bag?" He suddenly had a thought.

"Yeah, she has it." Nick smiled as he watched the younger man driving them home. "Jean rushed her to the hospital the other day."

"Nose bleed or paper cut?" Greg smiled round at him.

"She coughed... once. I told her that she's just gettin' over that last chest infection. We forgot to pack her spare batteries for her hearin' aids though. Your Dad picked some up." Nick removed his seatbelt as they finally pulled into their driveway, grabbing their food. He waited for his partner to rush around the car to let him out, giving the younger man a smile. "Thank you, baby."

"I gotta go change out of this suit." Greg unlocked the front door, letting Nick inside. "Did you do laundry this morning?"

"The machines loaded with the kids stuff. Your suit will probably fit."

"I'll be back." The younger man ditched his suit jacket on the banister, taking the stairs two at time to the bedroom. He pulled on a clean t-shirt and some comfortable jeans, grabbing a change of clothes for Nick, before he made his way back down. He smiled as Nick had set up a candle on the coffee table, making the setting a little bit more romantic than just pizza in front of the TV. "Here." He handed him his change of clothes, while he took his suit through to the laundry room. He checked through the kids washing already inside, leaving out Sadie's white dress so it wouldn't get stained by the colours.

He couldn't believe that he was the sensible one who had to separate white from colours now. Domestic life had really changed him.

"There's a message from your Mom on the answer machine. Sadie wants you to say goodnight to her." Nick reported, crashing against the sofa. He opened the bottle of wine, smiling as he glanced up at his beautiful fiancé in the doorway. "What?" He curiously looked at him.

"In... nine hours," Greg glanced at the clock, slowly making his way over to the man. "We're getting married. And we're about to sit down and have pizza like it's an ordinary day. I never imagined the night before my wedding day being like this."

"Disappointed?" He popped the cork away from him, pouring out two glasses of wine. He handed one over to Greg as he took a seat a beside him, giving him a wide smile. "This is exactly the kinda night that I pictured. Just you and me, alone together. I don't wonna be out gettin' completely smashed or watchin' someone I barely know dance on a table. I don't know why people feel the need to celebrate their last night of freedom before they tie the knot. The reason I'm gettin' married is so I can be with you for the rest of my life, so I want to spend the night before my weddin' day with the man I'm about to marry."

"Not disappointed one bit." Greg smiled at him, taking a quick sip of his wine, before he leant forwards to kiss him. "It's just... different. Happy Day before our wedding." He smirked, clinking their glasses together. "Are you nervous?"

"A little." Nick nodded slightly. "Not about bein' married to you. That's the best part, but the weddin' and the ceremony, that part I'm nervous about. I already know I want to spend the rest of my life with you, but now I have to declare it in front of a room full of friends and family." He grabbed the pizza box, opening up on his lab. "Are you nervous?"

"Maybe a little." He grabbed the first slice, licking his lips after his first bite. "I think a job interview is more terrifying than a wedding ceremony though. I know exactly what I'm going to say and do tomorrow and no matter what happens, I'll always have you." He smiled at the man he adored. "You know what the best part about it is?"

"What?" Nick watched him licking his lips after another bite.

"Honeymoon." Greg grinned widely. "A whole week alone with you for the first time in... ever. This will be our first real vacation alone together. No parents. No baby's. No work. Just you and me. I love you more than anything. I don't have any regrets or last minute nerves about marrying you tomorrow." He giggled softly as his partner immediately leant forwards to seal a kiss to his pizza covered lips.

"I love you." He brushed his thumb across the younger man's chin. "So, what do you wonna watch?"

"Anything but the Disney channel." Greg grabbed himself a plate off the table, getting himself another slice of pizza, before he leant back against the sofa back. He waited for Nick to return to his side, leaning closer to him so he could feel his heart beating through his chest.

After a stressful week of interview prep, he really needed to relax in the arms of his partner. He polished off three slices of pizza and a few pieces of cheesy bread, before he dozed off to sleep.

Nick didn't know how he managed to doze off so quickly. He could barely finish off two slices with his nerves, let alone sleep. He stayed awake throughout the movie, before he gently woke the younger man up, so he could sleep in his own bed. Greg fell asleep as soon as his head hit his pillow, leaving Nick to undress him so he was more comfortable. He snuggled in beside him a moment later, holding him tightly in his arms. He desperately tried to do the same for the next hour or so, but he started tossing and turning with nervousness and excitement about the big day that was quickly creeping up on them.

Hearing his cell ringing, Nick quickly scrambled out of the bed, grabbing it from its charging port. He took it into the bathroom with him, half closing the door so he could still see Greg on the bed. "Hello?"

"Daddy!" He heard the excited cheer of his little girl.

"Hey, baby girl. Shouldn't you be sleepin'?" He glanced at his watch, perching himself on the edge of the bath tub. "Where's your brother?"

"Sleeping. We go sleep at seven."

"Oh yeah," He didn't believe that for a second, because it was two in the morning now. "Where's your Nana?"

"Here." Jean called through the phone. "Hi, Nicky. Sorry. We had a little accident."

"Arthur peed in the bed." Sadie piped in.

"He's fast asleep now. We've changed him and the bed sheets, but Sadie wanted to help out. She said she wouldn't go back to sleep without a proper goodnight from her Daddy's." Jean brushed her granddaughter's hair back from her forehead, handing her the phone.

"Where's Papa?" Sadie immediately asked the man.

"Papa's sleepin' already." He peered through the gap in the door, smiling as his adorable fiancé continued to sleep away. "Am I not good enough for you anymore?"

"Yes. I love you, Daddy." She quickly recovered. "I love you the best-est."

Nick smiled into his phone. "I love you the best too. Papa loves you too. We'll see you tomorrow, bright and early for the weddin', so you need to get your sleep, baby girl."

"I no tired though." The four year old argued.

"You will be tomorrow though. You won't make a very good bridesmaid if you're sleepy. You don't wonna miss the big day, do you?"

"No." He heard her sigh. "Good night, Daddy."

"Good night, baby girl. Sweet dreams." Nick smiled into his phone, turning his attention towards Greg in the other room. He would have never seen himself where he was today five years ago. He didn't have a clue what his life was going to turn out like back then. He certainly didn't picture a family. He thought he would never find or have what his brother and sisters had, but most of all, he never pictured a friend becoming his family.

When he woke up the next morning, Nick absently reached out for the empty spot on the bed beside him, finding himself all alone. He quickly sat himself up, fearing he was stuck in his awful dream, until he noticed the pile of laundry being sorted on the bed beside him.

"Good Mornin'." He rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"Morning, sleepy head. Did you sleep well?" Greg folded a pair of his son's khaki shorts, before he crawled across the bed towards his partner. He sealed a kiss to his lips, combing his fingers through his hair. "I wanted to let you sleep a little longer. You looked so peaceful, until about an hour ago when you started tossing and turning. You're not worried are you?"

"Not worried." Nick shook his head, pulling the younger man closer to hug him tightly. "I had a bad dream is all." He clutched him tighter. "You weren't with me anymore."

"I'll never leave you, not by choice." He cradled the man's head against his shoulder. "It was just a dream, Tex." Greg pressed his lips to his hairline, smoothing his hand across his shoulders. He smiled as he saw the man's eyelids were closed against his shoulder, looking more adorable than ever. "I can't imagine my life without you in it, Nick. And I really don't want to either. You're the most amazing thing that's ever happened to me."

"Right back at yah." Nick opened his eyes, giving him a warm smile. "If I could go back in time, I wouldn't change a thing about us. I might have got with you sooner, but I don't regret a thing that's happened between us."

"You're adorable, you know that." He teased his fingers through the man's hair, leaning in for another kiss.

"Mm, minty." Nick licked his lips, pulling back with a smile. "Can I ask you a favour?"

"Anything." Greg brushed his thumb across his cheek. "But I have my limits."

The man chuckled softly, dropping his head back to his pillow. "Will you dance with me?" He reached for the younger man's hand, weaving their fingers together. "There's so many things that I want us to do together. The first two years of our relationship, I feel like I kinda kept you coped up. Half our dates were in the front room with a pizza box, while the other half we were jugglin' baby's, tryin' to hold down a conversation."

"I would love to." He crawled closer to the headboard, stroking his fingers through the man's hair. "But I can't actually dance. I can do the punk rave nod to the beat thing." He did a quick demonstration, smiling down at the man. "But I can't dance."

"I can." Nick quickly sat himself up. "I can teach you, c'mon. It's easy." He took hold of the younger man's hands, crawling towards the edge of the bed. He pulled him to his feet, weaving their fingers together at his side. "I've wanted to dance with you for years. I keep dreamin' about that dirty dancin' scene. The one where Swayze lifts Jennifer Grey over his head."

"You trying to tell me you're going back to girls, Tex?"

"No." Nick chuckled softly, pulling Greg towards the middle of their bedroom, where they had more space to move around. "I'm the one liftin' you in my dream." He put his arm around his waist, slowly moving their bodies as if there was music playing in the background.

"I've never seen it." Greg confessed, resting his arm around the man's shoulders. "My Mom has. She tried to get me to watch Brokeback Mountain with her once too. I didn't have the heart to tell her that I already saw parts of it during sex." He smirked. "You grew up watching dirty dancing and your parents didn't realise you were gay?"

"Grease too, I don't know how they didn't see that one comin'." He chuckled, placing his hand on the waistband of Greg's pyjama bottoms. "You know my Mama's not comin'."

"I know." Greg spoke softly, looking down at his feet to try and copy the older man's movements. "It's not like we need her there for it to be real, right?"

"I'm not bothered." Nick assured him.

"Are you just saying that, because you don't..."

"My Dad's comin'." He revealed a big surprise to him. "He called me at work to personally accept the invite. First time he's spoken to me in nearly five years, but he said that he's proud of me and he wouldn't miss this for anythin' in the world. He also said that he's interested to see what kinda guy you are."

"Really?" Greg suddenly felt the pressure, not even noticing that they were turning. "He's gonna be here today?"

"Yeah, your Mom has the total head count, so it won't affect your precious numbers." He giggled softly, suddenly lifting the younger man's arm over his head. He twirled him in his arms, reversing their positions so Greg could take the lead. "You're not a bad dancer, for someone who can't dance I mean." He moved the younger man's hand to his hip, looking into his beautiful eyes. "Can I ask you another favour?"

"Will I regret it if I say yes?"

Nick shook his head, putting his arms around his partner's shoulders. "Will you dance with me once we're married?" He watched the younger man thinking about it for a moment, keeping him in suspense, before he gave him a nod. "Really?"

"Yeah." Greg grinned back at him. "I like seeing you happy, Nicky. You're glowing."

"Because I'm marryin' my best friend. I get to be with you forever."

"Damn straight." Greg glanced over his shoulder as he heard a beeping noise, quickly fetching his phone from the night stand. "Wedding day." He held up his phone to the man, showing him the notification. "We better start getting ready."

"Yeah." Nick smiled at him, feeling the nerves starting to bubble to the surface again. "Do you know how much I love you?"

"To the moon and back." Greg clipped his permanent reminder bracelet around his wrist, stealing a quick kiss from his lips. "I've gotta call, Sara. My Mom and the caterer." He hurried off in excitement.

Nick crashed against the bed, grinning widely as he stared up at the ceiling. He felt like a kid waiting for Christmas day, only he already knew what his greatest present was going to be.

Greg Sanders.

"Okay, the caterer has the final head count of our guest list. We've given the okay to the DJ for the list of music for the night. Florist is going to meet Mom later. Bags are all packed for the honeymoon. Kids bags are packed for their week with Mom and Dad. We stocked up Sadie's meds and Arthur's diapers. Your suit is hanging up in the guest bedroom. Dad's bringing mine with him." Dropping to the edge of the bed, Greg ticked off the last few things on his checklist, shaking the pen in his hands as it started to run out. "Kids outfits are hanging up in the laundry room. Catherine's picking up the cake. I'm missing something though."

"We're either ready for the most important day of our lives or we're not, G." Nick playfully covered his checklist with his hands, leaning forwards to seal a kiss to his lips. "C'mon, we need breakfast."

"Hold on, I need to call Mom. They need to be on their way now if they're gonna make it in time." He gave the man a smile, turning to grab his phone again.

Nick reluctantly climbed off the bed, pulling a t-shirt on. He still felt exhausted after a sleepless night, but there wasn't any time to catch up on his sleep now. "Coffee?"

"Please." Greg hit his Mom's speed dial, double checking his list, while he waited for the call to go through. "Hey Mom..." He held the phone away from his ear as she started to scream with excitement. "Yeah Mom, thanks for that. I'm deaf in one ear now."

Nick stumbled off down the stairs, running his fingers through his tousled hair as he made his way through to the kitchen. He missed having a house full of family, but he was a little grateful for the peace and quiet this morning. He sat at the counter while he waited for the kettle to brew, surprised to hear a knock at the door this early.

"Warrick..." He opened the door wider, shielding his tired eyes from the bright sun. "Hey, man. I thought you weren't comin' back until later."

"You left your cuff links on your desk." Warrick presented him with the initial engraved cuff links. "And I thought you could use some help." He smirked, seeing how exhausted the younger man looked, still only dressed in his boxers and a t-shirt. "You're getting married in about... five hours." He checked the time on his watch. "You eaten yet?"

"No, I'm still waitin' for coffee." Nick stepped aside, letting the man in. He closed the front door behind him, leading him through to the kitchen. He slumped back into his seat at the counter, watching Warrick searching his kitchen for some plates and things to make them breakfast.

"No offence, man, but you look like hell. What time did you go to sleep?" He smirked, catching the man yawning widely as he rested his head in his hands.

"I didn't really sleep."

"Nerves or excitement?" Warrick curiously asked, putting some waffles under the grill.

"A bit of both actually." The man confessed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He got up as soon as the kettle had finished boiling, grabbing the forty dollar pot of coffee from the top of the cupboard that was meant for special occasions. "It doesn't feel like my weddin' day yet. It feels a little surreal. I guess it hasn't really sunk in. Greg's excited. He's goin' through all of his checklists up there."

"And here I thought you would be the one doing that, while he was dragging his heels." His buddy smirked, quickly chopping up some fruit to go on the waffles.

"I resent that." Greg appeared in the doorway, giving the man a smile as he turned to face him. "Good Morning. My Mom and Dad are already in the car. Dad recons they'll be here in about an hour and a half. You're making us breakfast?" He sounded surprised, watching Warrick arranging the fruit around the cooked waffles. "Who put you up to it?"

"Nobody. I just wanted to help out." Warrick set a plate down on the counter, letting Greg examine it for a moment to make sure it wasn't poisoned or something. "I didn't get to give you a stag night out... either of you. Catherine and Sara have helped you out with most of the wedding prep, so this is my way of helping out. Making sure you both make it down the aisle is my way of helping. So sit. Eat." He ushered the younger man around the counter, taking the coffee prep out of Nick's hands so he could sit with him.

"Thank you, Warrick." Greg grabbed them some cutlery, playfully ruffling his hand through his fiancé's hair, before he took a seat beside him. He grinned widely after his first mouthful, even though the fruit was a little ripe and the waffle was still a little frozen, nothing was going to get him down on his wedding day.

His future husband perked up a little after his coffee and breakfast, but not enough to carry on a conversation. Instead of sticking around to chat with his future in laws, Nick took his children upstairs to get them ready, hearing all about Sadie's adventure with Nana Olaf, while he changed his two year olds diaper.

"And look at this one, Daddy." Sadie fished out another shell from her seaside bucket.

"Wow." He smiled at her, examining the shell in her hands. "That's a big shell. Did you jump some really high waves?"

"Yeah. I... I jumped the biggest. Nana fell over on her bum. She jumped like this. Daddy... Daddy watch... she jumped like this and landed on her bum." The child giggled, leaning against her father's side as he finished dressing her younger brother. "Daddy, where we going today?"

"It's our weddin' day, remember. Papa and I are gettin' married." Nick lifted his son to his feet, pressing a kiss to his little head. He looked more and more like Greg every time he saw him, making him love the younger man more and more for what he had given him. He wished he would reconsider having more, but he had agreed with Greg that it was time to get his life back.

A four year old and an almost three year old were enough for now.

"There, all set." Nick secured the bowtie around his son's neck. In his flash little suit, Arthur looked just like a miniature, Greg. "Very smart. Let's see how long it lasts, aye?"

Nick sat his son on the bed with his toys to keep him occupied, turning his attention towards his daughter. She chose the dress herself for the wedding ceremony, so he knew there weren't going to be any arguments about her wearing this one. She complained over her father's technique of trying to braid her long hair, but perked up when he presented her with the princess tiara to complete her outfit.

"There... what do you think?" Nick turned her to face the mirror in his room. "You look like a beautiful princess."

"I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, baby girl." He pecked a kiss to her cheek, proud of his little fighter.

From weighing just one pound when she was born, she fought hard for her survival through every operation, infection and procedure. She was quite a bit smaller than the other children her age, but she made up for it with her big personality. He knew there could be more complications down the road with her health, but so far they only had to battle against asthma and partial deafness. She didn't like her hearing aids at first, but with a little help from Uncle Grissom and Nana Betty, she was proud to wear them.

"Daddy, can I marry Papa too?"

"You can't marry, Papa." He smiled at her, seeing a frown on her little face. "Papa's marryin' me. You can only marry one person. He wouldn't be your Papa anymore if you married him. When you're older... much, much, much older, you might marry somebody. Someone that you love might ask you... or you could ask them. Nana Jean and Grandpa Daniel are married because they love each other. Uncle Grissom and Aunt Sara are married because they love each other. And I love Papa Greg, so we're gettin' married today."

"So I can't?" She looked almost a little disappointed, but she seemed to understand. "Okay." She let out an exasperated sigh.

"Hey, give me a hug." Nick held his arms out to her, hugging her tightly against his chest. "I love you, baby girl." He spoke softly, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Let's go see Papa, he should be off the phone by now." He pushed himself to his feet, scooping up his baby boy from the bed spread. "You've dribbled all down the front already, bud."

"I wonder who he gets that from?" Greg smirked from the doorway, giving his partner a cheeky grin.

"Papa!" Sadie ran towards him, giggling softly as he scooped her up into his arms.

"Hello, little monkey. You look like a princess. I might have to borrow that tiara later." He made a few adjustments to her hair, leaning forwards to steal a kiss from his fiancé's lips. "Catherine just arrived. Are you coming down?"

"Yeah." He smiled widely, looking into his eyes. He swept his fingers through his partner's unruly hair, feeling as though he was on cloud nine right now. "C'mon, little monster." Nick followed his partner down the stairs with his son in his arms, realising he had a room full of guests now and he was still only wearing his boxers and a t-shirt.

"Good morning, Nick." His former supervisor smiled up at him. "Greg, I love what you've done with the place."

"Grissom." Nick shook the man's hand, embarrassed to hug him in his pyjamas. He hadn't seen the man face to face in years now, but he still felt like a father figure to him, putting a smile on his face as he was going to attend one of the most important days of his life.

To him, having Grissom there on wedding day was far more important than having his mother there.

"Hi, Nick." Sara stepped forwards to greet him with a big hug, cooing over the adorable little boy in his arms. "He's getting so big already. I did not know they make suits that small... or cute." She giggled softly, gently combing her fingers through his wild hair do. "You definitely have Greg's hair."

"I heard that." Greg called back to her, carrying his daughter through to the kitchen, showing off her dress to his mother.

"What do you think, Gil? Next generation, CSI. Do you think you can put up with the next generation of, Greg?" Catherine smirked, catching the man secretly praying that he would choose another profession. "Late start, Nicky?" She playfully ruffled her hand through his messy hair.

"You could say that." Nick adjusted his baby in his arms, smiling as he saw how happy Greg was in the midst of friends and family.

"You know you're a very lucky man, Nick." She gave him a hand with Arthur.

"I know." He nodded, smiling wider. "Now all I have to do is say 'I do' to make him mine forever."

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it.**

 **~ Holly**


	21. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"I take you, Nicholas Parker Stokes to be my husband."

When they originally chose the option to write their own vows to one another, Greg realised that he had no idea what to say to the man he adored out loud in front of a room full of people, most of whom were his friends and family who had never even heard him say the word 'love' before. He was starting to wish that he had gone first rather than Nick, but it was too late now and he didn't have any notes to keep it brief and to the point in front of all of these people.

"I take you... Nick... as my friend... my family... and love of my life. I open my heart to you. I vow to bring you happiness... be your loyal companion... and support you throughout our life together. I will always be honest with you... care for you, be patient, kind and forgiving. I promise to support your dreams... offer you strength and courage throughout your endeavours. I promise to love you... keep you safe for as long as we both shall live. But most of all... I promise to always be your friend. Your partner in parenthood, your ally in conflict and your life long companion."

Looking into the man's eyes, Greg struggled to keep his lower lip from quivering as he saw the love he had for him in his expression. He wasn't one to cry over sappy movies or romantic happy endings, but the idea of being hitched to the man he loved for the rest of his life still felt a little surreal to him.

"With this ring, I give you my heart." He steadied the ring on the end of Nick's finger, trying to concentrate on not dropping it and not screwing up his vows at the same time. He tried not to look in the direction of their guests, but he already caught a glimpse of his parents, his Nana Olaf, Grissom and Nick's father all staring at him, waiting to hear what he had to say. "With this ring, I give you my promise that I will always be there for you. In good times and bad. You are my light at the end of the tunnel, Nick and you've shown me more love than I've ever known."

Greg replaced the ring to his partner's finger, smiling as it actually meant something now they had exchanged their vows. He didn't even wait for the woman beside him to pronounce them as life partner's as he leant forwards to seal a kiss to the older man's lips.

The woman simply smiled, giving them a moment, before she pronounced, "By the powers vested in me by the State of Nevada, it is my honour and delight to pronounce you life partners. I am pleased to present the newlyweds, Mr and Mr Sanders!"

"I'm so glad my Mama isn't here to hear that." Nick whispered softly, capturing his lips for another quick kiss. He didn't even care that his father had full view of their first kiss as newlyweds. He had always been so worried about how he would react, especially after the first time, but he seemed more on board then ever all of sudden, making him a little curious at what could possibly change his mind about him. "Any regrets?"

"Maybe the seating plan." Greg confessed, looking at the front row as their guests started to applaud them. "My old boss didn't need to see me kiss his star CSI so up close and personal." He grinned back at him, taking the older man's hand into his own. "Ready for the hard part?"

"I thought we already did that. My legs feel like jell-o." Nick slowly followed his lead, nervously smiling as they made their way through their cheering friends and family members. He could already see that Greg's mother was in tears, but he was surprised to see both Catherine and Sara grabbing for the tissues too. He was almost too nervous to see the look on his father's face, but to his surprise, the man was still smiling.

He assumed that there must have been something wrong with him. He hadn't seen the man in years, but he was getting on in years, so maybe a life threatening illness had suddenly made him change his mind.

Nick clung to Greg's hand through the flying confetti, letting him take the lead towards their car. He crashed against the back seat with him once they escaped, grinning ear to ear as they waved off their friends and family. He tilted his head to the side to look at the man beside him, feeling as though he was going to burst if he smiled any wider.

"I wish I could go away with you now."

"Me too." The younger man weaved his fingers through Nick's, matching his smile. He gazed into his eyes for the rest of the drive, before they finally arrived at their venue for the night. "Wow." Greg climbed out of the car first, keeping hold of his husband's hand the whole time. He headed straight inside, taking a moment to explore the casino styled layout of the tables, before they wandered towards the dance floor. "First dance, my dear husband?" He offered his other hand to his husband, pulling him a little closer.

"You know, we don't have to dance in public. Not if you don't want to." Nick spoke softly, gently moving the younger man's hips with his own.

"I'm not worried, just as long as you're not looking for that romantic first dance experience in front of everyone. I think I'd freeze up if it was just us with all of them staring at us. I had my first dance lesson about four or five hours ago." He smirked, taking the lead. He lifted his husband's arm over his head, grinning widely as he twirled him around. "You're so beautiful, Nick."

"You think I'm beautiful? You're much prettier than me." Nick smoothed his hands down the front of the handsome man's suit, adoring the vintage suit on his slender figure. "I love this suit. I can't wait to take it off you though." He brushed his fingers across the waistcoat he was wearing, wishing this moment could last forever.

"Are you alright with your Dad being here?"

"I'm not embarrassed to be with you in public anymore. I'm not ashamed to be seen with you. I don't feel guilty and I'm not afraid to tell anyone that I love you, because yours is the only opinion that matters to me now. And I know that no matter what, I'll always have your love." He brushed his thumb across the ring on Greg's finger, realising it meant so much more now.

"Oh yeah, so you won't mind if we do this in front of your father?" Greg playfully tripped his partner up, catching him for a Hollywood kiss over his arm.

"Not if you do it like that." He struggled to straighten up, placing his hand on his back. "You coulda thrown out my back, G."

"You wuss." The younger man giggled softly, placing his hands on his partner's hips. "Was our wedding how you pictured?"

"Not exactly. You didn't stick around to marry me in my fantasy." He admitted, putting his arms around the younger man's shoulders. "It turned out much better than any fantasy. Your Mom actually behaved herself. So far. And the kids sat quietly. My father didn't drag me away kickin' and screamin' to a mental institution and he actually smiled at me. Now we just have this dinner to get through, then you're all mine for the next week."

"You mean you're all mine." Greg smiled back at him, possessively holding him close. "From this day forth, you're all mine, Tex. Are you nervous?"

"No." Nick shook his head, turning his attention towards the doors behind them as they opened. He pulled back from Greg slightly, watching the caterers and his mother in law filing into the room. She had the seating chart in her hands, checking the layout of the room with her chart, before she started instructing them on how and where to serve first. "I'm still scared of your mother though."

"You have nothing to be afraid of. She adores you." He took hold of Nick's hand again, leading him towards their table. "Just like my Dad adores you and my Nana adores you. You've got the easy side of things, because everyone from my side completely adores you. How do I know that your father's not packing?" He joked, pulling his chair out for him like a perfect gentleman. He wrapped his arms tightly around Nick's shoulders as the man took his seat, pressing a kiss to the side of his head as he whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too." Nick tilted his head back, smiling widely as he looked into the man's eyes. "You're my hero, G. You saved me the moment you kissed me and you continue to save me every day that you're with me."

"You should have added that to your vows."

Nick smiled. "True, but I didn't want Grissom to know that our first kiss was in the locker room. Think of the paper work."

"Congratulations, you two." Jean excitedly hurried over to them, hugging her son tightly for at least a minute, before she threw her arms around Nick's shoulders. "I'm so proud of you both." She pressed a kiss to the man's forehead, pulling back to hug her son once again. "Before you sit down, Greg, we're going to do the photos. The photographers waiting out front with your father and the kids. I'll be there in a moment, I've just got to get the vegetarian meals sorted. The caterers didn't read your last message about the revised total of vegetarian meals."

"Okay, c'mon gorgeous." Greg pulled his husband to his feet, taking him by the hand.

"You've been married five minutes and he's already bossing you around." Jean snickered softly.

"Thirty eight minutes." Nick corrected her, smiling at the beautiful man in front of him. "And he always bosses me about. It's part of what got me in the first place."

"Not that you mind." Greg gently tugged him closer, sealing a kiss to his lips. "Thirty eight minutes exactly?"

"About thirty nine minutes now. Give or take." He shrugged his shoulders together, realising he hadn't actually put his watch on this morning during his haste to get himself and the kids dressed. "I plan to spend a lifetime with you, so every minute counts."

"Aww, he's adorable isn't he?" Jean cooed, quickly ushering them away. "Chop chop, the photographers waiting. Not so much teeth honey and try to keep them PG."

"Thanks, Mom." Greg called back to her, breathing in the delicious smells coming from the kitchen as they made their way towards the entrance again. He shielded his eyes from the sudden burst of confetti from his Nana's hand, catching her for a hug, before she managed to grab another handful. "I said no confetti. It messes up my hair. You have no idea how long perfection like this takes." He swept his fingers through his hair, picking out the bits of coloured paper from Nick's hair beside him.

"It's a tradition." The woman smiled, tossing the second handful of confetti over her son in law as he brought her great grandchildren up the steps.

"Thank you." Daniel remarked, shaking his head to get rid of the extra confetti.

"Daddy!" Sadie slipped her hand out of Grandpa Daniel's, hurrying towards him. She threw her little arms around his shoulders as he knelt down to her level, clutching him tightly as she missed him so much during the past few hours away from them.

"Hey, sweetie." Nick swept her up, hugging her tightly against his chest. "Was it good?"

Sadie nodded her head, reaching her hand out for Greg's beside her. She wrapped her little fingers tightly around his ring finger, admiring the ring he had to wear in secret over the last few years. "Can you tell da story again, Papa?"

"We're kinda busy today, monkey." He knew how much she loved the story of how they became a family or the fantasy version that they told her anyway. He didn't think she needed to know all the details about his abduction, Nick's reluctance to be with him or the mother who couldn't even remember her name, so he blurred the details a little to make it sound a little more advertising to a four year old.

"Can you tell me at night time?" She sweetly requested.

"We're goin' away on our honeymoon tonight, baby girl. We told you all about it the other day." Nick reminded her.

"Why you have to go?" Sadie pouted her lip out at them. For a four year old, she certainly knew how to manipulate her parents already.

"On our honeymoon? Because it's Daddy and mines first break from you little monsters." Greg playfully tickled the little girl beside him, before he lifted his son from his father's arms. "We'll only be gone for a week. You'll have your Nana and Granddad wrapped around your little finger by that time." He smiled at her, picking the confetti out of the hair gel in his son's hair. He looked completely adorable in his little suit, even with the drool running down his chin.

"Nana maybe." Daniel corrected him.

"I see you've already given them candy." Greg noticed the chocolate smear around his son's face. "Did Grandpa give you candy before you're supposed to eat a big wedding meal?"

"Objection, leading the witness." Daniel grinned at his son.

"I didn't have any." Sadie protested, giving her father a cheeky smile, as she buried her head against his shoulder.

"Your mother gave it to them while we were waiting for you to arrive. I think the photographer is getting impatient. Do you want me to take the kids?"

"He's supposed to be here to photograph your wedding day." Nana Olaf had a pop at him from a distance. "He can wait as long as it takes or he's not gonna see a pay check at the end of it."

"It's okay." Greg hoisted his son higher against his chest, missing the days when he fit so perfectly in his arms. He was growing up so fast. "We'll take the kids with us. You better go in and pry Mom away from her leadership role. Be careful though, I don't think she'll give it up without a fight." He instructed his father, leading the way towards the photographer.

He originally wanted their wedding photos of them in the night time scenery of Las Vegas, but they couldn't have their baby's with them if the ceremony was at night. He wanted his whole family around him on the most important day of his life.

"Pancho." A familiar voice stopped them, giving him a smile as the four of them turned to face him. "When you have a minute, Nick..." His father anxiously shifted from one foot to the other, looking at his long lost son as though he was seeing him for the first time. "I'd really like to catch up. Not now, obviously. You need to be with your family." The man cast his eyes towards the children in their arms, seeing a lot of his young son in their little features.

"Dad, this is Greg." Nick quickly introduced him, realising that he was in fact real and not a mirage.

"Greg." His father smiled, moving his hand forwards to greet him.

"Hello, sir." Greg anxiously shook his hand.

In Nick's dreams, his father was always holding a knife or a gun when he met, Greg for the first time. He never just shook his hand like he was now.

"This is Sadie and Arthur." He introduced him to his children next, seeing some recognition in his eyes.

"I've seen some pictures of the two of you." The man confessed, smiling at them both. "I didn't think you would be so big already. How old are they now?"

"Four and two, almost three." Nick motioned towards his son, still a little weary of the man's intentions. "We have to go, the photographer's waitin'."

"Of course." The man took a step back from them. "I'm sorry I couldn't get your mother to come with me, Nicholas. She's kept every photo you've ever sent her of the children. I think she just needs some more time."

Nick felt as though he needed some more time himself to get over the fact that this was the same man who seemed so cruel when he first found out about his sexuality. He knew that it was over twenty years ago now, but he would have never pictured this outcome in a million years. The fact that he used an old childhood nickname towards him only made him more weary, feeling as though he had an ulterior motive for being here.

"We have to go." Nick walked away this time, feeling his heart racing as he did.

"That's fine. It's nice to finally meet, Greg." His father called after him.

"You too, Mr Stokes." He waved to him. "Nicky, are you okay?" Greg caught up to him, sliding his hand into his own. He didn't want an emotional meltdown on their wedding day, but as he caught up to him, he saw a smile plastered across his lips. "Are you okay, baby?"

The Texan nodded his head, keeping up his grin. "I don't know if I'm angry or happy to see him, but yeah, I'm okay. That's my Dad. That's Cisco. He's really here. Never in a million years would I ever picture that man attendin' his gay son's weddin', but he's here and he doesn't have a gay bashin' mob with him."

"Maybe he's changed." Greg lowered his daughter from his arms, wrapping his arms tightly around his husband's shoulders. "Look at you and how much you've changed. He has a right to be proud of you. You're an amazing man. A wonderful father. Any father would be proud to have you as their son."

Nick pecked a kiss to his cheek, noticing his father still watching him. He didn't look disappointed or disgusted by his intimacy with Greg, proving that he really had changed. He cast his eyes towards his pseudo fathers, Grissom and Daniel, feeling as though his family was complete now. He had come a long way in the past five years.

Before Greg, his life used to be filled with loneliness. He lived alone. He didn't have friends outside of work and at times, he felt as though he didn't even have a family.

But since his first kiss with Greg, his life was full of love and family.

Grissom, Sara, Catherine, Warrick, Brass, Jean, Daniel, Nana Olaf, his brother and sisters, even his father. They were all here to support his love for Greg.

The photographer took plenty of photos of their own little family together, along with their friends from the lab, Nick's sisters, the children and finally just a few intimates of Nick and Greg together. Nick couldn't stop gazing into his partner's eyes the whole time, feeling his heart fluttering as the man looked right back at him. He never thought that a wedding or a marriage was in his future, but this really was the best day of his life.

And it was only going to get better.

 **The End**

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

There it is, the final chapter. I hope you've enjoyed reading this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it. If you didn't already read it, you should read the prequel to this story titled ' **Secrets and Desires'.**

Huge thank you to **Marymel** for all of your reviews. And I would like to give shout outs to **GeekGirlForLife, NickGregLover, Caramelcreamcoffee, GregNickLover, 6marcella9, FanM, HeiwaAi, mizncis, vaunie5962, 01lmg, KliqzAngel, PeachyPeach, WofOZ, bookworm1012019, jajou54, janet1982, julia78, , knausebart** for your follows, favourites and PM's, along with all you anonymous readers who continued to support this story.

As I've said I didn't have a beta for this story, so all mistakes are my own.

Thank you all for reading, reviewing, following and favouriting. Thank you for all your messages. I hope I didn't disappoint you with the ending, and I'm sorry but there will be no sequel to this one. I have a few one-shots in mind and I have lots more projects in the works though that I will be uploading here on Fan fiction as soon as they're ready.

I've been writing quite a few **GSR** fictions lately, but don't worry, I will never give up writing for **Nick/Greg.** I think this will be my last **M-Preg fic** for a while. I'm still in the process of uploading my first **Supernatural** fan fiction that I decided was good enough for here and I've started writing some **TG stories** for a site I joined called **TG Storytime.** A site for transgender, body swap, magical gender change... My first story is up already, titled **How my Summer Went Wrong** under the same author name **Lolly4Holly.** You can find a link on the bottom of my profile if you're interested in reading it.

 **How my Summer Went Wrong, Story Summary:** _A magical heirloom causes havoc in the household. Junior, Helen and Arty have discovered the secrets of an old family heirloom. Have you ever dreamed of becoming someone else, thought about being the opposite sex or just wanted to take a vacation from being you? Junior, Helen and Arty learn the hard way that it's not all it's cracked up to be._

 **Thank you! Please review.**

 **~ Holly**

Started 28th September 2015 = Finished 14th May 2016


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